


The Boy Next Door

by katdefbeom



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-08-26 12:34:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16681711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katdefbeom/pseuds/katdefbeom
Summary: Mark needed a new roommate and you needed a new place. But did both of you get more than you bargained for?





	1. Roommates Wanted

Jackson enters the apartment excitedly, holding a bunch of folders in his hand as he shouts for his roommate’s name. He’s surprised to hear no reply since he knew Mark was in there before he left. He walks to Mark’s room and opens the door, and finds the elder sitting by his gaming computer with the headphones on. No wonder he didn’t hear Jackson calling out for him. Jackson walks over to Mark and does something that no one else would be brave enough to do -  _he turned the computer off_.

“What the hell?!” Mark yells out as he takes the headphones off. “I was playing. You know the rules Jackson!”

“I do know the rules” Jackson scoffs. “I did help you come up with them after all. But, I told you we needed to do something important and made sure to tell you not to go on the computer until we did this. Am I wrong?”

“No” Mark scoffs this time. “What’s so important that couldn’t wait anyway?”

Jackson grabs Mark’s arm and drags him to sit down by the coffee table in their lounge room and Jackson sits on the other side. He neatly organises the folders he had on the table, while Mark watches him curiously.

“What are these?”

“A list of potential candidates.” Jackson beams.

“Potential candidates? For what?”

“For your new roommate of course!”

“Jackson” Mark whines as he rubs his face with his hands. “I don’t need these. I don’t need a new roommate.”

“Did you forget I was moving out?” Jackson asks, but doesn’t wait for Mark to answer. “You can’t afford this place on your own.”

Mark sighs again before finally picking up the first folder. Jackson was right, he was going to move out with his girlfriend Irene soon, and he definitely can’t afford this place on his own. He had just been delaying the inevitable because, he really doesn’t like sharing his space with just anybody, and he didn’t want to admit that he would miss Jackson. They were best friends after all.

Mark sifts through the files and doesn’t find one single suitable candidate. They were either too boring, too loud, too full on and too lazy. Jackson sighs each time he rejects a candidate. He knew Mark was picky, he just didn’t realise the extent of it.

“I move out in a week, Mark” Jackson reminds him gently. “You need to choose someone by then.”

Mark agrees before heading out to his shift at the local bar.

* * *

You were finally ready to head out to your shift at the cafe, when you look at the mirror to check your appearance one last time. You sigh before grabbing the lint roller and using it on your clothes to remove the cat hair. This is getting out of hand and you really need to have a word with your roommate about it.

“Jaebum, you need to do something about this” you address your roommate who was lounging on the couch. “You can’t keep letting your cats come into my room and go on my clothes.”

“It’s not like you have to worry about it much longer” Jaebum looks at you. “Your lease is up soon.”

“What about your next roommate? Don’t tell me you plan on torturing them too?”

“I’m not having a new roommate” Jaebum scoffs. “As soon as you move out, I’m turning that room into the cats’ room.”

You look at your best friend in shock at his plan. You want to shake him out of this stage that he is on. You love him and deep down you love his cats, but this is getting out of hand.

“Jaebum, you are worrying me” you walk up to him before ruffling his hair. “But I have to go. We’re going to have to sort you out another time.”

“You love me” Jaebum smirks. “And the cats.”

“Yeah, I do. But if they go on my clothes again, I will feed them your music sheets.”

The look on Jaebum’s face was priceless and you couldn’t help but laugh before waving goodbye and walking out the door.

* * *

Working at one of the busiest cafes in town, meant that it was always full of customers. Sometimes it was filled with customers who were filled with character. You always expected them, so that you were prepared to act if necessary. What you didn’t expect though, was to spot your friend and coworker Jackson sulking by the counter when his character, was the happy one. It had thrown you off.

“What’s the matter with you?” You ask him as you don your apron on and prepare to get started.

“I’m worried about Mark” Jackson sighs.

You’ve heard Jackson mention Mark before. He was Jackson’s roommate and best friend. You also heard about him from Jaebum, because you all attend college together, though you’ve never seen Mark. It’s because the trio were music majors while you were all the way to the other side of campus, as an english major.

“What’s wrong with him?” You ask curiously.

“I’m moving in with Irene in five days, and we haven’t found a roommate to replace me” Jackson explains.

“That’s relatable” you laugh.

“What do you mean?”

You explain to Jackson about your situation with Jaebum. You’re worried that he’s going to turn into a crazy cat lady when you move out. You hadn’t minded the cats, but when he adopted a seventh one, you had to leave. You were going to go crazy.

“He can move in with Mark then!” Jackson says excitedly.

“That’s not happening” you shake your head at him. “Jaebum can afford to live on his own, so he has no plans to leave that apartment. Plus, he already planned to make my room into the cats’ room. I wouldn’t want to put that on Mark.”

“Ugh, this is so frustrating” Jackson groans. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re finally moving out of there too. I know Jaebum is your best friend, but I was worried about you turning into a cat lady too. Where are you moving to?”

“I haven’t found a place yet” you shrug. “My lease isn’t up for another month.”

You watch as Jackson stares at you in question, before watching his face light up and he starts cheering and jumping up and down.

“You can be Mark’s new roommate!” Jackson says as he hugs you.

“What?”

“You can be my replacement!”

“That’s not a good idea.”

“Why not?” Jackson asks. “It solves both of our problems!”

“Has Mark ever lived with a girl?” You ask Jackson and he declines. “Exactly. This isn’t going to work.”

“On the contrary, I think it works perfectly” Jackson counters. “The both of you are the same. You like it quiet, but not too quiet. You like your own space and so does he. He’s not like Jaebum, and he has no cats. You wouldn’t even know he was there.”

“I don’t know Jackson” you reply even though you are almost saying yes already. You are desperate to move out.

Jackson looks at you with his puppy dog eyes that he knows you can’t resist. You roll your eyes before saying that you are definitely considering it, but he needs to pitch the idea to Mark first to make sure the guy was okay with it. You didn’t want to be left out in the cold with nowhere to stay if he doesn’t agree.

* * *

That night, Jackson rings you to let you know that Mark was fine with you moving in, which worked out for you, because you had already pitched the idea to Jaebum who was all for it. Jaebum informed you that Mark was a great guy, and that you won’t have any issues at all. You had to discuss the rest of the rent, because Jackson needed you to move in a few days and Jaebum told you not to worry about it. He would take care of everything.

You lie in bed, thinking about the move. You close your eyes hoping that everything would be okay.

_Nothing could go wrong, right?_


	2. Moving In

You wipe the sweat off of your brow and stand up after taping up your last moving box. You take one last look at your current bedroom, knowing that it would be the last time you’ll be in here like this. This had been your home for two years, and packing everything up in two days had not given you enough time to say goodbye. But, you didn’t really have a choice - Jackson was moving out today which meant that you had to move in with Mark today too.

“Jackson’s downstairs with the moving truck” Jaebum announces at your door, with a small smile. “Are you ready for this?”

You return a small smile back before saying yes, and picking up the first box to bring down.

“Well that’s the last of it” Jaebum announces as he hands over the last box to Jackson to load up. “Are you sure you’re alright bringing them up to Mark’s?”

“Yeah man, I’m good” Jackson replies back, so Jaebum turns to you.

“I’m going to miss you guys” you say before hugging him goodbye.

“We’ll miss you too” he whispers in your hair. “But, you know it’s not the last time we’ll see each other right? We’re best friends after all.”

“I know.”

“And I know I told you about the cats taking over your room” Jaebum says as he pulls away. “But you know if it doesn’t work out with Mark, that you’re always welcome back here right? I’d never leave you out in the cold.”

“I know” you sniff, trying to keep the tears at bay. “Now, stop being sappy. You’re going to make me stay.”

“You ready to go?” Jackson asks after he closes the doors on the truck and you give him a nod.

“Love you best friend” Jaebum hugs you one final time.

“Love you.”

* * *

You lie down on your new bed, in your new apartment with a huff. It’s only midday, but you are already worn out from the move. Just moments ago, Jackson had brought up your last box and went on his way. He’d informed you that Mark was at college and won’t be back until dinner time. You’re dreading the thought of unpacking - so you want to lie there as long as possible. But, as your eyes start to close, you know that you cannot nap yet, not when there are boxes upon boxes to unpack. So peel yourself from the bed - making a mental note to send Jaebum a thank you text for purchasing it - and go to look around your new place.

You note that Mark, seems to be a pretty tidy guy, which is already great for you. You check the kitchen to note where everything was, and from the looks of it, he had made sure there was enough room in the pantries and fridge for anything you had wanted to put in. That is one point for being courteous. The bathroom is strategically placed between the bedrooms so at least you won’t get to hear it, if he has other  _extracurricular_  activities.

You walk towards where his bedroom is, wanting to check it out, but note that the door is closed. You have to physically drag yourself away from his room, because your arm was already reaching out to open the door. You just let your curiosity roam around the pictures on his bookshelf instead. You note that there isn’t a photo in there where you could distinguish who he was. You chide yourself for not asking Jackson for a photo so that you could tell which one your roommate was. As you check out all the photos though, you pray that he isn’t the hot blonde guy with the killer smile, because if he was, you don’t know if you could survive this.

You finally decide to start your unpacking since you had run out of things to do or check out in the apartment. You put some music on to get yourself in the mood, and get on with the task at hand.

* * *

Mark finally makes it back home at about six after having to stay back in class for a group project. He is beat. He just wants to have a shower and go to bed. When he nears his apartment door, he can hear faint music coming from behind it. He didn’t think he left the music on this morning. A ding from his phone reminds him of what the reason could be.

> **[18:00] wang puppy** : forgot to remind you  
>  **[18:00] wang puppy** : y/n moved in today  
>  **[18:00] wang puppy** : don’t freak out when you see a girl there

Ahh that’s right, his new roommate. That would explain the music then.

> **[18:01] la gangster** : good one  
>  **[18:01] la gangster** : can you send me a pic of her or something?  
>  **[18:02] la gangster** : so i know that it is her in there  
>  **[18:02] la gangster** : and not some random  
>  **[18:03] wang puppy** : sorry man, i don’t have one  
>  **[18:03] wang puppy** : look, she’s not bad on the eyes  
>  **[18:03] want puppy** : that’s about all i can tell you  
>  **[18:04] la gangster** : thanks for nothing  
>  **[18:04] wang puppy** : be nice to her!!

Mark sighs before opening the door of the apartment and walking in. He spots your shoes already put in a neat pile and breathes a sigh of thanks, at least you weren’t messy.

“Y/N?” Mark calls out hesitantly but hears no reply back.

He notices your bedroom door open so he walks over to check if you were in there. He halts by doorway when he spots you, laying on the bed and napping peacefully. You must’ve been tired from the move and all the unpacking you’ve had to do.

He watches you sleeping for a few moments and he wants to deck Jackson for lying to him. You weren’t bad on the eyes,  _you were fucking terrible for his eyes_. Because you were so goddamn beautiful to him, even in your state of messy hair and parted lips. That bastard did this on purpose.  _He could be in trouble_.

Mark debates for a few moments whether he should wake you up from your nap but the grumble from his stomach makes the decision for him. He figures you must be hungry too and he doesn’t want to be a dick and order food without you.

“Um, Y/N?” Mark says a bit louder with a knock on your door. He lightly chuckles to himself as you suddenly sit up on the bed, wide eyed and looking at him as you try to wipe any drool from your chin - even if there wasn’t any.

You look to the source of the sound that uttered your name and you spot the hot blonde guy, with a killer smile standing on the doorway.  _Oh boy_.

“Um, hi?” You say as you quickly wipe away any drool that had escaped your mouth during your nap.

“Hi, I’m Mark” hot blonde guy with a killer smile spoke to you. “I’m your roommate.”

“Y/N, nice to meet you” you reply with a wave.

“I didn’t mean to wake you” Mark says, rubbing the back of his neck. “But, I was hungry and was wondering if you wanted me to get some takeout for you too? Then we can maybe get to know each other, find out our schedule and set up some ground rules?”

“Sounds great” you smile. “I’ll just quickly freshen up.”

“Okay, cool” Mark beams. “You good with Chinese?”

“Good with anything.”

“Alright, see you in a few” Mark replies with a wave before closing your door.

_Oh boy, you’re in trouble_.


	3. Rules

After spending a few minutes staring at the door that your new roommate Mark had closed, you finally snap out of your shock and walk over to your closet to quickly change into some sweats and a loose shirt. You then quickly make your way to the bathroom - as Mark stands in the kitchen on the phone with his back towards you - to splash some water to cool down your heated face. You finally settle your hair in a bun before walking out to meet him in the living room.

“The food should be here in ten minutes” Mark declares as he opens the fridge to grab a beer. “You want some?”

“I wish I could” you sigh before settling down on the couch. “Unfortunately, I have work in the morning plus an afternoon class. So I’ll have to pass.”

“Yikes” Mark replies before settling down on the same couch, some distance away from you. “Lucky, I don’t have to start my day till midday.”

A comfortable silence sits between the both of you as you wait for the food to arrive. You lean back on the couch with your eyes closed, trying to relax. Mark sneaks a glance at you, and can’t help the way his eyes study your face. A part of him wishes that he could study the rest of your body, but your choice of clothing wasn’t doing him any favours.

“Am I boring you?” Mark teases with a light chuckle and you quickly sit up and open your eyes.

“I’m sorry” you laugh lightly. “Unpacking took a lot more out of me than I had anticipated.”

“I was just teasing” Mark reassures with his killer smile. “Should we discuss our schedule now then? So you can go rest after we eat?”

“Sounds good.”

As the both of you discuss your schedules, you both realise that most of your class times and work shifts are opposite of each other. There are days where you would leave for the day before Mark would even have to wake up, and you would be asleep by the time Mark would get home from work. That gave both of you plenty of alone time, which you were both grateful for. You were roommates but you didn’t want to be overwhelmed by each other’s presence.

You also realise that the both of you had Tuesday morning, Wednesday evening, Friday morning and all of Saturday free together.

“So, I know we both love our alone time” Mark says after studying your schedules. “But, I don’t want to live with a complete stranger for a year. I want us to be comfortable and not have to walk on eggshells around each other.”

“I happen to agree. What do you have in mind?”

“What about movie night on Wednesdays?” Mark asks shyly, scratching the back of his neck.  _Why was he so nervous?_

“Sounds good” you beam at him. “You choose the movie and I can cook.”

“You can cook?” Mark asks and you nod enthusiastically. “Thank God. Jackson and I have been living on takeout for so long. I would literally pay you to cook me a decent meal.”

“You don’t have to pay me” you laugh in response. “Just do the dishes once in awhile and we’re square.”

“Done.”

“We also have Saturdays free” you point out. “Why don’t we leave that as chore and grocery day? And do whatever the hell we want at night?”

“Great minds think alike” Mark quips before getting up to answer the door, bringing the food in. “Tonight is on me.”

* * *

You spend the next half hour eating and getting to know each other. You find out that Mark bartends at the local bar and can offer you a discount on drinks if you decide to come in with your friends (he says this with a wink and you almost faint). He’s also a gamer - spending most of his free time in his room playing games. Of course, you also find out the most important thing -  _he’s single_.

Mark finds out that you actually work with Jackson at the cafe across from campus. Jackson informed him that you were a classmate - and now he really wants to deck Jackson for keeping you from him. You spend most of your time reading books and have to be pried away from them to actually get fresh air in your system. He can’t help but smile at the way your features light up as you talk about your books. He also can’t help but smile when you inform him, that you are also  _single_.

“Okay, so ground rules?” You prompt Mark.

“Well, I don’t really have anything major.” Mark scratches the back of his neck. “Just the one. If I have the gaming sign on my door, please try not to interrupt me unless it’s an emergency.”

“Understandable,” you reply. “What constitutes as an emergency?”

“The apartment going up in flames.” You laugh.

“What about if I need you to kill a spider?” You joke.

“I will be willing to forgive that one.” Mark laughs, remembering that you were indeed a girl, and you would be requiring him to kill a few spiders here and there. He then prompts you for your rules.

“Just the one too,” you answer. “To communicate with each other. I want to avoid as many unnecessary arguments as possible. So, I think if there is an issue, we just come out with it and solve it.”

“Sounds doable.” Mark agrees, as he starts to pack away the food and throw out the empty takeout boxes.

“There is one last thing we need to discuss though.” You bring up. “Even though, I don’t really want to bring it up.”

Mark raises a brow at you from the kitchen unsure of what you are referring to. A blush starts to tint your cheeks, at the thought of having to broach the subject, and Mark thinks it’s the cutest thing ever.  _He really needs to stop staring at you_.

“Should there be certain rules about bringing people over?” You ask quietly and Mark seems more confused than before.

“Do you mean like having friends over? I don’t think we need rules for that.”

“No, I mean  _bringing people over_ ” you repeat acting quotation marks in the air.

“Still not following.” You groan and rub your face exasperatedly.

“Like, bringing someone over  _after_  a date” you say slowly, hoping he would get the hint.

“Oh, you mean rules about having sex? Why didn’t you just say so?”  _You want to scream and throw yourself out the window._

“I’m not sure to be honest,” you sigh. “Anyway, yes that’s what I meant. So rules, what are they?”

Mark seems to contemplate to himself for a few minutes and you do the same, trying to see what you are comfortable with. It’s not like you weren’t used to this, Jaebum brought his ex-girlfriend over all the time and you’re almost sure that Jackson would have brought Irene here a few times.

“Jackson and I didn’t really have rules about this,” Mark sighs. “It’s easy for us because we’re both guys. We just put a tie on the doorknob to let each other know and that’s it. How did you and Jaebum handle this?”

“With respect.” You answer Mark. “We always told each other when we were bringing someone home. Even when our rooms were separated, just like here, we still made sure that we weren’t too…  _loud_. Especially since either of us could be studying. That’s about it really.”

“Well, that sounds good to me.” Mark smiles. “Not that you have to worry, I am too busy for that kind of extracurricular activity. What about you?”

“You don’t have to worry about that either.” You laugh. “I am probably going to turn into a cat lady like Jaebum.”

“Someone as beautiful as you? Not a chance.” Mark says nonchalant, even though his heart is beating faster than a freight train.

Your blush warms your cheeks before you mumble out a quick ‘thank you’. You then get up and help Mark pack away the rest of the food, before bidding him goodnight, since you’re working an opening shift at the cafe.

You lie down on your bed, staring at the ceiling for a few moments as you think about your luck, with having Mark as a roommate. Everything seems too good to be true that you’re worried about how living with him is going to go. You decide to put your mind to rest for the night, and await for the slumber to consume you.

_Who knows what the next day will bring?_


	4. A Cad

_You’re in the kitchen, preparing your breakfast when you hear padded footsteps heading over in your direction. You smile, already knowing who it is. You hear a sleepy yawn behind you, and you turn around to see Mark standing there in all his glory - black boxers, white shirt and hair pointing in all sorts of directions._

_“Morning Mark!” You greet him cheerily, as you lean on the counter, picking up your coffee in the process. Mark mumbles a ‘morning’, before padding over to you, taking your mug off of you and placing it back on the counter._

_He then places his hands by your neck to secure you in place, before leaning in and giving you a kiss on the lips. He moves to deepen the kiss and you open your mouth to let his tongue enter. Mark picks you up, placing you on the counter and he grabs your underwear to drag them down and take them off. He drags your hips to the edge of the counter, spreading your legs wide, giving you a devilish smirk before diving to your core and-_

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

“No. No, no, no.” You grab your phone from your bedside table to turn off the alarm. You rub your face harshly to wake yourself, not quite believing what had just happened. You were just dreaming about Mark. A steamy one at that.  _Oh boy._

You quickly grab your change of clothes for the day before opening your door slightly, to pop your head out. Once you see that the coast is clear, you quickly head off to the bathroom for that much needed cold shower.

* * *

Once you’ve finished, you start to put clothes on and realise that you forgot to bring a new shirt with you. You decide to brave it, hoping that Mark was still in bed. You quickly put your bra on and wrap your hair in the towel before walking out.

“Well, good morning to me.” Mark smirks from the kitchen and you freeze like a deer in headlights.

“Mark! You’re awake!” You say in surprise. “I thought you didn’t have to start your day till later?”

“Jackson called, he wanted to catch up.” Mark shrugs, before raking his eyes up and down your body. He’s not even trying to hide the fact that he’s checking you out.

“Are- are you checking me out?” You ask hesitantly, warmth appearing in your cheeks and he chuckles.

“Can’t help it, sorry. I’m a guy. And in case you weren’t aware, you’re standing there without a shirt on.”

“I’m very much aware.” You scoff before crossing your arms over your chest, even though he’s already seen you.

“Well, next time you can check me out.” Mark suggests wiggling his eyebrows.

“That’s hardly fair. That could be six months from now.” You tease playfully.

“Oh, well we can’t have that can we?” Mark winks at you, and before you know it, he had taken his shirt off. “Are we even now?”

You gasp in surprise at the sight in front of you. You wish you could unglue your eyes from his chiselled abs but it proves impossible. At this point, you’re just praying that you don’t have drool running down your chin.

“Earth to Y/N?” Mark waves his hand in front of your face and you jump back, hitting the wall behind you. You didn’t even realise he had walked over to you.

“I’m- I’m okay.” You reply meekly.

“Are you sure?” Mark asks with a smirk, moving even closer, until he’s right in front of you. “You hit your head pretty hard there.”

“You’re a cad.” You tell him as you maneuver yourself away from him and towards your room. “It hasn’t even been a day!”

“I’m just teasing!” Mark chuckles. “Come on, you’re making it too easy for me. I’m sorry.”

“You better be.” You warn playfully. “I’m almost late for work.”

“I’ll make it up to you!” Mark calls out as you enter your room and close the door behind you.

Mark smiles to himself before closing his eyes and leaning his forehead on the wall. He can’t believe his luck. Just last night, he was complaining about your choice of clothing and now you have blessed him. He shakes his head and chuckles to himself before putting his shirt back on and going back to finish his coffee.

Not only did you have a beautiful face, you also had a beautiful body. He’s really going to kick Jackson’s ass when he sees him today. Mark can’t stop his thoughts from wandering to you.  _Keep it together, buddy! It’s only been a day!_

“Will you be back for dinner?” You ask as you get a bottle of water out from the fridge.

“No, it’s Thursday.” Mark replies. “I won’t be back till after nine because of class.”

“I’ll leave something for you to eat.” You say before giving a small wave and heading towards the door.

“You’re the best!” Mark calls out.

“I know!”

* * *

Mark spots Jackson on the phone waiting by the door of the cafe they agreed to meet at and he takes this opportunity to smack him up the head.

“Ow! What was that for?” Jackson acts surprised even though he knew it was coming.

“You know exactly what it’s for.”

“I do, but I need details.” Jackson smirks at him, earning him another smack up at the head. “What are we doing here anyway? Why couldn’t we meet at the campus cafe?”

“Because you work there?”

“Exactly! I could’ve scored us free food and drinks!” Jackson exclaims and Mark just rolls his eyes.

“Well, Y/N is working right now, so we can’t exactly be there.” Mark explains once they sit down after ordering, and Jackson is confused. “Because we’re going to be talking about her, doofus. Why didn’t you tell me about her?”

“I told you she was moving in.” Jackson says innocently, but flinches at the look Mark gives him. “Look, I honestly didn’t think she was your type, or that you would be this affected by her.”

“Why haven’t you introduced me to her before?”

“That one is on Jaebum. She is off limits, apparently.” Jackson defends himself. “You’ll have to take that up with him.”

Mark rolls his eyes again. Trust Jaebum to be overprotective of his friends. He’ll have to squeeze him for info another time. Jackson then starts nudging him to spill details about the both of you.

“What’s there to tell, man? It’s been a day.” Mark laughs, choosing to keep the incident this morning his little secret. “She seems really cool and really nice.”

“And really hot and really sexy.” Jackson adds with a sly grin. “You should be thanking me.”

“Yeah, thanking you for making my life a living hell.” Mark scowls and when Jackson tries to protest, he adds “You literally dropped the woman of my dreams on my lap, but made her really out of my league.”

“I knew it! I knew you would like her.” Jackson says excitedly. “How is she out of your league?”

“You made her my roommate, dude.” Mark sighs, rubbing his temple. “You practically friendzoned me.”

Jackson was about to protest again, until it all connected in his head. He looks sheepishly at Mark and offers a half apology, which Mark dismisses. Jackson didn’t really have to apologise. Nobody really expected the effect you were going to have on him. He and Jackson eventually part ways as he heads off to his shift at the bar.

* * *

You come home after a long day at work and college to an empty apartment.  _That’s right, Mark is still in class_. You quickly drop off the bags of ingredients for dinner tonight on the counter before heading to your room to grab your Bluetooth speaker. You put your hair up in the bun and crank the music up to get cooking.

You manage to make enough pasta for two days. After you had dinner, you put it away and washed up, before heading to the bathroom for your night routine. When you walk out of the bathroom - fully dressed this time - Mark is just walking in through the front door.

“Jesus, fuck! You scared the shit out of me!” Mark clutches his heart trying to calm it. “What happened to your face?”

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a face mask?” You laugh at him.

“You look like an alien.”

“Charming.” You sneer at him. “Should I just throw your dinner in the trash then?”

“Did I say alien? I meant the most beautiful person on the planet.”

“That’s better.” You nod at him before heading towards your bedroom. “I’m heading to bed. You good?”

“You cooked dinner. Of course, I’m good.” Mark smiles. You bid each other goodnight and he heads off to the kitchen.

Mark heats up your food and as soon as he shoves it in his mouth, he closes his eyes and wants to cry. It’s the best damn thing he ever tasted. He quickly finishes it off and washes up before heading off to bed.

As he lays there in bed, he can’t help but let his mind wander to you. He starts to think about what it would be like to sleep next to you, or to have you sleep in his arms. He slowly succumbs to slumber and he would never admit it, but it was the best sleep he’s had in awhile.


	5. Feelings?

With Saturday finally rolling in, you expected to be sleeping in like every other person out there did. You especially expected Mark to still be in bed, considering he had a shift at the bar last night. You weren’t sure what time he came home but when you went to bed at ten pm, he still hadn’t been home. So you weren’t sure why someone out there was banging pots and pans at seven in the morning.

You groan before finally getting up. You had tried to cover your head with a pillow to block out the noise but it had been ineffective. You double check that you are decent - now a habit since that particular incident - and you’re determined to give him a piece of your mind. That is until the smell of bacon wafts in the air.

You saunter over to the kitchen and spot him cooking by the stove. You roll your eyes at his appearance - of course he would just be wearing basketball shorts and nothing else. You take a deep breath wanting to make yourself seem unaffected. He is your roommate after all, and there will be more than one occasion when he will be dressed like this. You need to get used to it.

“I didn’t think you knew how to cook?” You groan the question at him as you sit yourself on a stool by the counter.

“I can only do eggs and bacon so don’t get your hopes up.” Mark chuckles before turning around and seeing your annoyed face. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

You nod. “But, I’ll forgive you if give me an extra piece of bacon.”

Mark laughs again before picking up an uncooked piece of bacon and waving it to you, before adding it to the pan.

“A coffee would be nice too.” You try to push your luck and smile when he looks at you in disbelief.

“How do you take it?”

“With milk and two sugars please.” You beam at him.

“Anything else,  _princess_?” Mark teases and you thank the heavens that his back is towards you or he would’ve seen you blush at the endearment he used.

“I think that’s it.” You try to reply as nonchalant as you can and he laughs again.  _God, his laugh was adorable_.

Mark takes the pan and places its contents on the two empty plates in front of you. He comes back with two pieces of toast each and then your coffees. You smile excitedly and thank him before digging in. Mark throws you his killer smile before choosing to eat across the counter from you.

* * *

After you had both cleaned up your dishes and freshened up, Mark had suggested that the first item on your to do lists should be the laundry. This way, he can show you where the laundry room is and the two of you can do your groceries while you wait for the laundry to finish.

As the two of you roamed the aisles of the local supermarket, you were surprised at how at ease you were both feeling with each other. It had only been a few days since you moved in and here you were doing the groceries together. You chance a peek at Mark to see if there was any sign of discomfort from his end, and you almost wish you hadn’t.

With an adorable pout adorning his face, Mark is standing there deep in thought as he considers the two cereal boxes in his hands. His eyes dart back and forth each box, and you have to stifle your giggle not wanting him to catch you staring.

“Why are you laughing at me?” Mark laughs with you. “This is a very difficult choice! I was trying to consider which one we would both like so it’d be cheaper for us to buy.”

“Very considerate of you.” You muse. “I’m happy with either so you choose.”

“Coco Pops it is then!”

The two of you then head off to the next aisle as you needed to grab some olive oil. You walk slightly ahead of him and the trolley since you knew where they were located. When you get there, you realise that the supermarket had moved it to the higher shelf just out of your reach. You try to grab it to no avail - not even standing on your tippy toes helped.

“You know you can just ask me to grab it for you right, shorty?” Mark teases and you glare at him.

“I am not short.” You huff. “That’s not where they used to be. The store moved it higher.”

Mark smirks at you and you know that he doesn’t buy it, even though it’s the truth. You feel yourself blush the longer he stares at you, so you swallow your pride.

“Will you please grab it for me?” You ask in a small voice, and Mark stares more intently at you.

“You know I was just teasing right?” He asks hesitantly.

“Yeah it’s fine. I get it.”

Mark walks up to you and lifts your chin up so you’re facing him, your eyes wide in confusion. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take it too far.”

“It’s fine, really.” You move out of reach from him with tinted cheeks. “You can make it up to me by grabbing two of the green bottles please.”

Mark goes to reach for the bottles and his shirt rides up as he stretches his arm, revealing his toned stomach and you can’t help but stare.  _God, those chiselled abs are going to haunt you again in your dreams tonight._

“Just can’t get enough can you?” Mark teases as he hands the bottles over to you.

“Well, you’ve certainly made up for it now.” You wink at him and now it was his turn to blush. Just before he could come up with a retort, the two of you hear your names get called out by a familiar voice.

“Jackson, what are you doing here?” Mark asks, not bothering to turn around, silently hoping that it was just a figment of his imagination and you giggle.

“Grocery shopping.” Jackson lifts his shopping basket filled with items before turning to address you. “You must be some type of miracle worker. I couldn’t even bribe Mark to come shopping with me. What’s your secret?”

“Alright, that’s enough.” Mark finally turns to give Jackson a questioning stare. “What do you want?”

“That’s no way to treat a friend.” Jackson scoffs. “Anyway, this is perfect. I’ve been meaning to ask you guys over for dinner with Irene and I at our apartment. Why don’t you guys come tonight?”

“We’re in.”

“We’re busy.”

You and Mark reply at the same time. You both look at each other, before he leans in.

“We’re busy, remember? We’re cooking dinner tonight.”

“Why cook dinner when we can get a free feed at Jackson’s?” You ask confused.

“He’s going to be annoying.” Mark tries to dissuade you.

“If he does get annoying, I’ll cook you whatever you want for the rest of the week.”

“We’ll be there.” Mark answers Jackson, who then wiggles his eyebrows.

“See you guys at seven!” Jackson says before heading off.

“Why do I feel like I just got duped?” You ask as you drop the bottles into the trolley.

“Because you did.” Mark laughs. “I’ll be sending you over the menu I want for the week after dinner.”

* * *

Once the two of you get back to the apartment, Mark had offered to put all the groceries away while you go to the laundry and move both of your washing to the dryer. He makes his way down ten minutes later, and opens the door to the view of you bent over, as you try to pull the clothes from the dryer.

“God, your ass is perfect.” Mark mumbles out and you scream your heart out, jumping away from the sound.

Mark stands there with eyes wide in fright as you hold an empty laundry basket up in front of you as a shield.

“Mark, what the fuck?!” You yell at him. “You scared the shit out of me, you pervert!”

“Pervert?!” Mark asks incredulously, not knowing what you were going on about.

“Look, I don’t care if you check my ass out, but can you at least announce yourself before doing so? You’re going to give me a heart attack and I’m too young to die!”

“Did I say that out loud?”  _Oh God._  You nod furiously and he wants the floor to swallow him up. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“No, it’s fine.” You sigh. “I’ve been rooming with Jaebum, my own best friend, for years and I still checked him out now and then. It’s normal.”

“Oh, did you and Jaebum ever… um…” Mark suddenly can’t find his voice, unsure if he’s ready for the answer.

“Ever?” You ask as Mark never finished his sentence but as soon as you look at his face, you know what he’s asking. “Dear God, no. No. Not even once. The guy is like my brother.”

Mark let out a breath of relief that he didn’t know he was holding. He doesn’t even know why he cared. You’re just roommates right?

_Ding._

> **[ 18:00 ] wang puppy** : you guys are still coming over for dinner right?

Ah, Jackson. Mark knows he’s up to something tonight.

> **[ 18:01 ] la gangster** : yeah we’ll be there  
>  **[ 18:01 ] la gangster** : you said seven right?  
>  **[ 18:02 ] wang puppy** : yep. i hope you’re ready for the double date

_I fucking knew it_ , Mark thought.

> **[ 18:03 ] la gangster** : you fucker  
>  **[ 18:03 ] la gangster** : i knew you were up to something  
>  **[ 18:04 ] wang puppy** : well you’re not making a move  
>  **[ 18:04 ] wang puppy** : so i’m making it for you

“Everything okay?” You ask Mark curiously as he’s staring at his phone in fear. “You look a little freaked out there.”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Mark tries to smile but it probably looks more like a grimace. “It’s Jackson. I’m just scared he’s going overboard tonight, that’s all.”

You laugh. “Tell him not to worry. I’m good with pizza or something simple. I’m gonna bring my load up now and get ready. You okay to wait for yours on your own?”

“Yeah, I’ll be up in a few minutes.” Mark waits till you’re out the door before going back on his phone.

> **[ 18:10 ] la gangster** : i swear to god jackson  
>  **[ 18:10 ] la gangster** : don’t plan anything  
>  **[ 18:11 ] wang puppy** : no promises ;)  
>  **[ 18:12 ] la gangster** : i’m cancelling  
>  **[ 18:12 ] wang puppy** : if you cancel, i’m telling her you have a crush on her  
>  **[ 18:13 ] la gangster** : you are literally the worst  
>  **[ 18:13 ] la gangster** : and i do not have a crush on her  
>  **[ 18:14 ] wang puppy** : yah, keep lying to yourself  
>  **[ 18:14 ] wang puppy** : don’t worry  
>  **[ 18:14 ] wang puppy** : you’ll thank me :)

Mark groans and looks heavenward. He then looks down at his stomach, feeling light flutters in there.  _What the fuck is this feeling? Jackson, what have you done?_


	6. It's Me, Not You

“Well that was weird.” You note once you and Mark enter your humble abode. “Definitely fun. But also definitely weird.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.” Mark replies, scratching the back of his neck. “Jackson tends to go overboard.”

“Understatement of the year.” You reply as you think back on everything that transpired during dinner.

Jackson had gone all out. Instead of a casual dinner, they had prepared a candlelit dinner for the four of you. You turned to Mark who just shook his head. After dinner, you all headed off to the amusement park by the pier. Jackson had targeted Mark’s competitive side and before you knew it, the two had played all the games available - winning stuffed animals for both you and Irene.

It then got a lot weirder. All four of you decided to go on rides - Jackson was meant to ride with Mark and you with Irene. During the first few rides, Jackson would drag Irene to sit with him at the last minute, so you were then left to sit with Mark who would roll his eyes. Eventually, Mark just automatically sat with you for the rest of the rides.

You didn’t mind though. Mark was a great person to take for a ride.  _Yes, that’s right_. He screamed and laughed just as much as you did and squeezed your hand as much as you did his. It almost felt like it was just the two of you there.

“What are we supposed to do with all of these?” You ask Mark, pointing at his stuffed animals haul. There was a giant bunny, a couple of penguins and a couple of dogs.

“We can gift them to our nieces and nephews for Christmas?” He suggests.

“Fine. The giant bunny is coming with me though.” You pick up the toy, almost double your size and start heading over to your room. Mark finds it adorable.

“Aren’t you too old for stuffed animals?”

“Definitely not. Besides, this is the first one you won for me. He’s special. I’m keeping him.”

Mark smiles to himself as he watches your retreating form.

“I hope you haven’t forgotten our deal?” He calls out before you completely disappear in your room.

“I haven’t.” You turn to smile at him. “But, Jackson wasn’t that annoying. So, I don’t think that counts as a win for you.”

“Something should count!” Mark exclaims. “I even got you a bunny!”

“Fine.” You relent. “You get three requests and that’s it.”

Mark pumps his fist and you laugh before retiring to your room for the night.

* * *

Your routines had pretty much kicked in after that week. You always leave first because of your job at the cafe. Sometimes it’s morning by the time Mark comes home because of his shift at the bar. You make sure there’s food for him before you leave and in turn, he makes sure you have food when you get home. You both make sure that there is minimal house chores left for the other.

Thursdays remained as your movie night. You would take turns in choosing the movies each week. Luckily, you and Mark had similar tastes in movies so there had been no arguments about it yet. Those nights were filled with pizza, beer, popcorn, laughter and tears. Just how you liked it.

Saturday also remained as shopping and chore day. You don’t know how he managed it, but Mark always made grocery shopping and cleaning fun. You always looked forward to it.

You and Mark became really good friends after a few months. You were glad because you have to live with him for a year, but a part of you was also wary. The closer the two of you got, the more the thing you had been wanting to avoid became inevitable. You were starting to crush on him. Hard. You were in trouble.

What you didn’t realise was that you weren’t alone in your pining. Mark was in the same boat as you. The more he got to know you, the harder it was for him to resist. But, he had to. You were so beautiful, kind, intelligent and so out of his league. He just knew you couldn’t feel the same towards him. So he did what he had to, wanting to forget how he felt towards you.

* * *

Saturday comes rolling in and you had never been more thankful. You had a terrible day yesterday, and you couldn’t wait to have Mark to yourself and have him cheer you up. The day had gone rather well and you thought nothing could go wrong. Of course, you were wrong.

“So, what do you want to have for dinner tonight?” You ask Mark after he helps you put the groceries away.

“Shit, did I forget to tell you?” Mark asks more to himself. “I have a date tonight.”

“Yeah, you did.” You try to hide your disappointment with a smile. “But, that’s great news. I’m happy for you. Is this the first date for you and….?”

“Her name is Nel.” Mark smiles. “Yeah, it’s the first date. I met her at the bar last night and we hit it off, so I thought why not. I’m really hoping it goes well.”

“I’m sure it would go fine, Mark.” You say genuinely. “You’re a great guy. She’ll be crazy not to like you.”

Mark flashes you his killer smile in thanks before going to his room to get ready, leaving you deflated in the kitchen. You let out a sigh before ordering some take out and grabbing the bottle of wine from the fridge and settling yourself in your room.

* * *

You caught up with Mark when you got home as he was getting ready for his shift at the bar. He informs you that the date with Nel last night went rather well, and you were glad. You had spent the previous night convincing yourself that this was what was best for the both of you, so you were definitely happy for him.

Mark spends his free time the next few weeks going on more dates with Nel, which meant he was missing out on your planned hang outs. He seemed truly happy so you were mostly okay with it. Except for tonight. Tonight a part of you truly wished he was still single.

Before you and Mark left for class in the morning, he informed you again that he had another date with Nel, so you decided to make plans for yourself. You didn’t want to stay home moping around anymore so you met up with Jaebum at the local sushi train for dinner.

You found yourself in a food coma on the way home, and all in all exhausted after a long day in classes. You were so tired that you hadn’t been paying attention to your surroundings when you entered the apartment. You missed the extra pair of shoes by the door and littered clothing in the hallway. You were taking off your coat as you walked in and you were getting ready to throw it on the couch when you finally noticed what was in front of you.

Mark was there in all his naked glory, doing a girl, hopefully Nel, on your living room couch. She was holding on to the back of the couch while on her knees as Mark was thrusting behind her.

“Oh my God!” You yell out after the reality in front of you finally sinks in. You abruptly cover your eyes and turn around, holding your hand out to feel your way towards the kitchen counter.

Mark and the girl scream out at the same time in shock, before moving to hurriedly get their clothes back on.

“What are you doing here?!” Mark asks in surprise.

“Uhh I live here?” You reply confused.

“You can look now.” Mark instructs before sighing. “I meant, I saw you at the restaurant with Jaebum. I thought you’d be out longer. That’s why I brought Nel over.”

“Ahh, I see. It’s nice to meet you Nel.” You introduce yourself to her. “I was beat and Jaebum had an early day tomorrow so we both decided to head home. I would’ve stayed out longer if I knew you were bringing her home.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry I forgot to text.” Mark scratches the back of his neck.

“This is my cue to exit.” Nel said grabbing her purse before turning to you. “It was nice to meet you. I’m gonna go.”

“What?” Mark asks. “You don’t have to go. We can continue this in my room.”

“Mark’s right. I’m just going to lock myself in my bedroom. It’s really no big deal.”

“I’m still gonna go.” Nel offers a small smile before heading out the door.

“What are you doing?” You whisper to Mark and he looks at you confused. “Go after her, silly. You’re really just going to let her walk out? Come on, dude. Go!”

Mark sighs, knowing you were right and darts out after Nel.

“Hey, wait.” Mark finally catches up to her. “Come on. Come back inside. We can continue where we left off.”

“No thanks.” Nel sighs. “You really think I’m going to go with you after you lied to me?”

“Lied to you about what?”

“About your roommate.” Nel seethes. “She’s the girl you were eye fucking in the restaurant. The one we literally argued about when we walked out. You told me you didn’t know her and now she turns out to be your roommate. Did you think I wouldn’t recognise her?”

“Nel, it isn’t like that.” Mark tries to come up with an excuse. “I wasn’t eye fucking her. I was just surprised to see her there, that’s all.”

“But you still told me that you didn’t know her, Mark. You still lied.” Nel tells him and he can’t say anything back since she was telling the truth. “She is the one you told me about at the bar right? The one you are trying to get over?”

“Yeah, that’s her.” Mark tells the truth. There was no point denying it now.

“We’ve been at this for weeks. You’re not over her yet, are you?”

“I’m sorry.” Mark says, putting his hands in his pockets. “I never meant for it to be this way, Nel. This wasn’t my intention.”

“I know, I don’t blame you.” Nel says earnestly. “I knew what I was getting into, but it’s probably best if this ends now. Goodbye, Mark.”

Mark bids her farewell with a kiss on the temple. He turns to leave but Nel catches his wrist at the last minute and turns him towards her.

“You should tell her how you feel, Mark.” Nel advises. “She either feels the same or she doesn’t. But you’ll never be free if you don’t tell her.”

Nel gives his hand a final squeeze before leaving him to contemplate her words.

You see the whole thing happen from your apartment window but you were too high up to hear anything. You could tell it didn’t end well though and you’re wondering what had happened for it to turn out like this. Mark walks in and gives you a sad smile.

“What happened?” You ask.

“She broke up with me.”

“Oh my, I’m so sorry Mark.” You say before quickly walking towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Mark inquires.

“I’m going to go after her.” You announce as you put on your coat. “I’ll talk to her and I’ll apologise.”

“Why do you think you need to do that?”

“Because I feel like this has something to do with me.” You reveal, staring at your shoes. “The same thing has happened with Jaebum. His ex-girlfriends never liked that he was best friends with a girl, let alone be living with one. I always caused issues and even though he says it never bothered him, I knew that deep down it did. That’s why I wanted to move out. I wanted him to be happy. Now, I’m doing the same here. Just let me talk to her, Mark. It’ll be fine, you’ll have her back in no time.”

Mark approaches you and starts to slide off your coat from your shoulders. “You don’t need to do that. It ended because of me, not you. I wasn’t ready for a relationship, but thought I’d give it a go anyway. I was proven correct. It has nothing to do with you.”

“You promise?”

Mark crosses his fingers behind his back and lies through his teeth. “I promise. Now, you said you were tired. I know you have work tomorrow, so off to bed you go.”

“Okay.” You resign to your fate and head off towards your room. “I’ll cook you something tomorrow to cheer you up?”

“That would be greatly appreciated.” Mark smiles and you return it before bidding him goodnight and closing the door after you.

Mark was close to following Nel’s advice tonight and almost told you how he felt about you. He hesitated because he already lost one person tonight, he wasn’t prepared to lose another. He wasn’t prepared to lose you, because he knows that’s what would happen if he ever told you how he felt.

_This is better than nothing_ , Mark reminds himself before retiring to his room and letting his mind fill with thoughts of you before drifting off to sleep.


	7. The Wingman

The next few days after that fateful night, were awkward to say the least. You couldn’t even look at the couch, let alone Mark himself, without blushing like a teenager and running off in the other direction. The only upside for you, was that it kept you from thinking that you were the real reason as to why Mark and Nel broke up.

Mark on the other hand was going mental. He hadn’t seen or spoken to you since that night and this was exactly what he was trying to avoid. He was already missing your presence which wasn’t doing any favours to his feelings for you.  _They did say that absence makes the heart go fonder._

It was finally Wednesday, and Mark took his chance. It was movie night so he was going to ask you about it before you left the apartment, but you had mentioned that you had plans with Jaebeom.  _Another excuse_. He wasn’t going to let you get away with it this time.

Mark enters the lecture hall and spots his target immediately. He sits himself down at the empty spot next to Jaebeom and turns to stare at him.

“Alright, what’s with the stare?” Jaebeom asks.

“Have you got plans with y/n tonight?”

“Nah. I’m heading to the studio tonight. What’s up?”

“She’s avoiding me.” Mark states with a pout.

“Well, I would too if I came home and caught you doing the nasty.”

Mark punches Jaebeom’s arms playfully, “I’m trying to get rid of the awkwardness but she won’t let me. I want to fix it. I want my roommate back.”

“You owe me for this,” Jaebeom shakes his head. “Her class finishes at 12.”

“Shit, we’re here till 1. I’m gonna miss her again.”

“Leave early,” Jaebeom informs him. “I’ll cover for you and send you my notes. Fix it so she’ll stop ranting to me about it. I don’t want to hear anymore about your escapades.”

Mark laughs before clapping his friend on the back. He pays attention to the clock the whole time and when there were only ten minutes before your class finished, he excused himself to go and meet you.

* * *

You stuff your books in your locker slowly, procrastinating as you try and come up with ideas to pass the time tonight. You told Mark that you were hanging out with Jaebeom, completely forgetting that he had to be at the studio. Now you were out of options on what to do.

You are pulled out of your thoughts when your locker door suddenly slams itself shut, causing you to jump backwards.

“Mark,” you gasp. “Don’t you have class? What are you doing here?”

Mark opts out of answering you and scoffs instead, before he grabs your hand and drags you out of the English building. You ask him a second time only to be faced with the silent treatment. You now know how determined Mark can be, so you don’t bother fighting him. All you know is that you’re heading well out of campus, after he quietly gestures for you to get in his car.

You weren’t surprised to be back at your apartment. Mark quickly opens the door for you, before dragging you up to your abode. Once you’ve both entered the threshold, he maneuvers you to sit on the couch.

“Okay, what’s going on?” You finally ask him once you’ve settled on the couch, with him crouching in front of you.

“We’re going to sit here and talk this through,” Mark advises. “I’m done with you avoiding me. It makes me feel lonely in my own home and I hate it. I don’t want to lose you over something so silly.”

You are taken aback by Mark’s words. You didn’t think he felt this way about the past few days, let alone your friendship. You didn’t realise the consequences of your actions.

“I’m sorry,” you reply sincerely. “I didn’t think avoiding you would cause this much trouble. Unfortunately, this is how I deal with awkward situations, but I didn’t mean to make you feel like you’re alone and that we’re strangers.”

“Can we please just go back to normal?” Mark pleads and you nod in agreement. “I’m choosing the movie tonight as your punishment.”

You laugh, “that’s fair. Pasta for dinner?”

Mark beams at you, nodding excitedly since he’s had nothing but takeout the past few days and he’s glad to have his roommate back.  You both hope that everything settles down after this.

* * *

You and Mark go back to your previous routine after that night. You’re back to joking and hanging around each other and you can now go back to having eye contact. There’s no more awkwardness there.

He did pick up a new habit though: he has been bringing girls home. It seems to happen quite often but he still makes sure he’s free on the days that the two of you have scheduled to hang out. He also makes sure to follow the rules and stay in his room, so that there are no repeats of the previous incident.

You don’t judge him for it. Based on the reason that Mark told you when he and Nel broke up, there is something that he needs to deal with it and he’s obviously decided that this is one way to do it. You don’t mind it, even though it’s not good for your heart, especially with the way you feel about him. But maybe, this would help you get over him.

Mark needed to find another way to get over his feelings for you and thought this would work. Unfortunately, it isn’t the case. He can’t seem to keep any of them longer than a night, after realising that they are lacking compared to you. He doesn’t stop though; sure that he would find someone even better.

Jackson bumps into him during one of his nights out. He prods the elder on what he’s doing and since Mark is a little bit tipsy, he reveals more than he should.

“Let me get this straight,” Jackson is stumped. “You’re hooking up with other girls to try and get over her and missing out on your chance to  _actually_  hook up with her?”

“That’s right,” Mark giggles, clearly intoxicated. “Except for the last part. I don’t have a chance in hell when it comes to her.”

“How are you so goddamn oblivious? You’re supposed to be the smarter one out of the two of us.”

“What are you talking about?”

Jackson sighs and shakes his head at Mark, “she likes you bro. The same way you like her.”

Mark is skeptical and looks at him like he’s grown two heads.

“Bring her to the party at Bam’s. I’ll prove it to you.”

* * *

You have no idea how or why you ended up at this party. Actually, you do. Jackson turned up at your apartment, and joined forces with Mark who was already giving you the puppy dog eyes, begging for you to join them. You never stood a chance.

“Less thinking,” Jackson offers you another red cup filled with god-knows-what. “More drinking. Come on, girl. Let loose for one night!”

“Leave her be,” Mark slings his arm on your shoulders and the smell of alcohol is strong on him. “Maybe she can’t handle her liquor.”

“Oh, I can handle my liquor just fine.”

“I’ve never seen you drink more than one bottle of beer back at our place. I think I’m right.”

You grab the cup from Jackson and down it one go, “You better be ready, Mark Tuan. I’m going to outdrink your lightweight ass tonight.”

After downing a few more red cups, you were well on your way to being inebriated. You know this, because you somehow got roped into playing ‘seven minutes in heaven’, when sober you would never have agreed to it. You didn’t even need the puppy dog eyes this time.

“Mark, it’s your turn to spin,” Jackson prompts him in a fit of laughter. “I wonder who you’re going to get. I bet it’s going to be  _her_.”

“Ooo, who’s her?” You ask Mark next to you, who laughs when the bottle points at you after it’s rotation. “ _Ooo, it’s me!_ ”

Jackson snorts before pulling you to your feet and handing you over to Mark. He then ushers the both of you into the cupboard, closing the door with a wink.

“It’s a little tight in here.” You giggle.

Mark can’t help but agree with you when he notices how close your faces are to each other. He tries to pull back but hits his head on the wall behind him, causing you to giggle once more. He places his hands on the wall, trying to steady himself, but your scent surrounds him. There’s no escape and suddenly, it’s way too hot in there.

You don’t know if it’s the liquid courage spreading through your body or something else, but you become bolder. You run your hands up his toned body before wrapping your arms around his neck. You tighten your arms to bring your body closer, until you’re flush against his chest.

Mark instinctively grabs your waist, his hands skimming past the hem of your shirt to touch your bare skin. It shouldn’t have been possible, but he brings your body even closer to his, both of your breathing becoming erratic.

“I  _really_  want to kiss you,” Mark asks for permission, his eyes darting back and forth between your eyes and lips.

“Then kiss me.”

Mark doesn’t waste anymore time and connects your lips together. The kiss is gentler than you expected and feels like it carries a lot of meaning. It makes you feel wanted; makes you feel loved. You moan at the feeling and Mark takes this opportunity to slip his tongue in, dancing it around with yours. You move your hands from his neck and tread them into his hazel locks, pulling his hair gently.

Mark groans, pulling you even closer to him, inadvertently grinding his half hardened bulge against your clothed core. A breathy moan escapes you as Mark’s lips dip lower, planting kisses on your jaw, just behind your ear and down to the juncture of your neck. He pays extra attention on your bare skin there, giving out sloppy wet kisses before sucking it, wanting to leave a mark.

“ _Mark_ ,” you whisper as you pull on the hair on his nape, causing his control to snap. He bites down on your skin and your hand flies to your mouth to stop yourself from letting out another moan. Mark licks the spot to soothe it before he kisses you again and his hands start to roam upwards to —

“Alright guys,” Jackson calls out. “Time is up! I’m opening the door!”

You both jump away from each other and hit your heads on the walls, laughter and giggles filling the air. Jackson opens the door and you almost fall out but Mark’s arms reaches out to grab you just in time. He straightens you up and walks you both out of the cramped cupboard.

“So,” Jackson prods with wiggling eyebrows. “How was it?”

You look at Mark who shrugs, and you copy his actions. Jackson lets out a whine that causes you both to laugh out loud again. You didn’t notice Mark move, until he grabs your waist from behind and pull you back towards his chest.

“Want to get out of here?” He whispers in your ear and you nod excitedly.

You bid your farewells to Jackson whose mouth is hanging wide open. You laugh one last time before heading out the door. You must’ve drunk more than you thought because you started to sway as you walked, even almost falling over in the process, if Mark hadn’t been there to catch you.

You hear his infamous laugh before he wraps his arms around you and guide you outside where your cab was waiting. He joins you in the back once he had put your seatbelt on but sits on right by the other door instead of next to you. You figured he was a bit nervous, and you were right.

Mark sat as far away from you as possible to try and compose himself or he would be tempted to take you right there and then and he’s sure the driver would not appreciate that. He also needed to keep his nerves at bay or he might end up talking himself out of this. Luckily, a bigger part of him was more excited at the fact that Jackson may be right;  _you might like him like he likes you._

He smiles before taking a deep breath to calm himself to turn and face you. When he looks over, he is faced with your sleeping figure. Mark’s eyes widen before his arms reach out to try and nudge you awake. It was no use. You were out like a light.

Mark pokes his tongue to his cheek, wanting to pound Jackson to dust for cockblocking him. If he hadn’t given you too much to drink, you’d still be awake.  _But if she was sober, she probably wouldn’t have made a move on you_. He could’ve taken a chance with you without having too much alcohol in your system.  _But you egged her on_.

Mark laughs at his inner monologue, before looking back at you. He brushes your hair away from your sleeping face before smiling at how adorable you looked. He wouldn’t mind sleeping next to that face every night.

He dresses you in your pj’s swiftly after getting inside the apartment. He didn’t spare anytime, not wanting to take any peeks while you were vulnerable. He was still a gentleman after all. He tucks you in and leaves a bottle of water and some aspirin by your bedside for tomorrow morning.

Mark smiles, giving you one last peck on your temple before heading into his own room. After the events of the night, he prepared himself for the best sleep, wanting to dream of all the possibilities after that kiss.

But as soon as he closes his eyes, the only thing he can think about, is your rejection in the morning. No matter how he looked at it, the only endgame he could see was you rejecting and leaving him.

_He was in for a long night._


	8. Actions and Reactions

The next day, you are woken up by the sun glaring through your curtains and the urgent need to pee. You sit up, quicker than your body would like and it causes you to have a pounding headache.  _Fuck, how much did I drink last night?_  You turn to your bedside table to find an aspirin and a water bottle and you say a silent prayer in thanks as you consume them.

Once, you have relieved yourself, you walk up to the sink to wash your hands and face. After you rub the sleep away from your eyes, you look at your reflection in the mirror and gasp in shock. You carefully lift your hand and gently trace your fingers on the mark on your neck, unsure whether it is a figment of your imagination. Alas, the hickey is real.  _What the hell happened last night?_

You head out of the bathroom and into the kitchen to grab yourself some more water when you hear Mark come out of his room. He spots you and flashes you his killer smile and you almost turn away from how bright it is. Unfortunately, you are too hungover to enjoy it.

“Morning,” Mark greets shyly as he approaches, bottom lip caught in his teeth. He was excited and nervous to see you this morning after the events of last night. He still isn’t sure how you would take it, but he takes it as a positive sign when you didn’t run away from him.  _Yet_. “How are you feeling?”

“Less hungover than I thought,” you chuckled. “I still have a bit of a headache but at least I’m up. Were you the one that left me the aspirin and the water bottle?”

“Yeah that was me,” he smiles again. “I thought you might need it.”

“Thanks. Wait, does this mean you were the one that took me home last night?”

Mark furrows his brows in confusion. You should know that he was the one that took you home; you even agreed when he had asked. He nods once and was about to elaborate on his answer when you interrupt him with another question.

“That’s great,” you sigh in relief. “That means you can tell me how I got this hickey on my neck last night and who it was from. I have been trying to rack my brain and —”

“Wait,” Mark interrupts this time. “Don’t you remember anything from last night?”

You shake your head. “I must’ve drunk more than I thought or Jackson had laced those red cups with something else. I can usually remember everything but the last thing I remember from last night is challenging you to a drink off.”

Mark takes a deep breath and closes his eyes to try and calm himself down. It’s just his luck that when he finally thought things were progressing, it turns out that you don’t remember a thing. His heart sinks. He doesn’t know what to do, though the choice is clear. He doesn’t know how you feel towards him yet so his safest bet is to act like nothing happened. Or so he thinks.

“Mark, are you okay?” You ask him worriedly since he hadn’t replied to your question.

He clears his throat. “Sorry, I was just sifting through my memories of last night to see if I can remember seeing anything for you, but I can’t think of anything. I’m not sure who the lucky fella is.”

“Actually, I think I’m the lucky one. I don’t remember it, which means it wasn’t with someone important or someone worth remembering.”

_Wow_ , Mark thinks to himself,  _you really have a way with words_. He replies, “Yeah, I guess.”

As the words left your lips, an unwelcome thought suddenly enters your mind. What if the guy you hooked up with, was Mark? No.  _No. NO. It can’t be_. There’s no way. Right? Or he wouldn’t be standing in front of you like normal. Or would he?  _Oh, God_. There’s only one way to find out if you’ve made a complete fool of yourself.

“Listen, I know this is awkward as hell,“ you start hesitantly. "But it wasn’t you that I hooked up with right?”

Mark’s eyes widen and he lets out a nervous laugh before he starts to cough, choking on air. You approach him to make sure he’s okay but he waves you off with his hand saying he’s fine.

“It wasn’t me,” Mark eventually says once he’s composed himself.

“Oh thank goodness! That would’ve been super awkward right?”

“Yeah, super awkward…” Mark trails off and you both notice your phone light up to signify a message. Mark takes this chance to go back to his room, jumping straight on the computer to blow off some steam with his gaming.

> **[12:00] jacks** : hey listen, boss man needs you to come in today  
>  **[12:00] jacks** : mina called in sick and no one else can come  
>  **[12:00] jacks** : you know i’m a baby and can’t do it by myself  
>  **[12:01] jacks** : please come and save me

You sigh, not really wanting to lose your day off. You then realised that Jackson might hold all the answers to your mystery mark and you might as well get paid whilst you’re investigating.

> **[12:03] mark’s girl** : fine. i’ll be there  
>  **[12:03] mark’s girl** : but you owe me  
>  **[12:03] jacks** : thank you!!!

* * *

You finally arrive at the cafe with a groan as Jackson engulfs you in a hug. You push him off of you after awhile, wanting to get ready and have the shift over and done with. You’re hoping to make it back by dinner because you hadn’t been able to cook anything and didn’t want Mark to starve especially since he looked after you last night. You had to settle for leaving him a note in regards to your whereabouts as he had his infamous gaming sign on his bedroom door when you were about to leave for work.

Once you’ve put the ‘closed’ sign on the door of the cafe, you were about to bring up the issue of your memory loss but Jackson beat you to the punch. The truth is, Jackson didn’t really ask anyone else to cover Mina’s shift when she called in sick. He called you straight away wanting to get the goss from last night straight from the source.

“So, how did you pull up this morning?” Jackson wriggles his eyebrows in question and you’re confused.

“Fine…” you answer warily.

“And how was Mark?”

“Fine, I guess,” you shrug. “He was a lot better than me. Even had a bright smile on his face when he walked out of his room and —”

"Wait, he came out of his room?  You weren’t in there with him?”

“What the hell, Jackson? Of course I wasn’t in there! We sleep in different rooms. Why would I sleep in there?”

“Yeah, but last night something happened —”

"Yes!” You interrupt him excitedly before pulling the collar of your shirt down a little bit to show him your hickey. “Last night is what I want to talk about! What the hell happened? Who did this come from?”

Jackson laughs in surprise at what you revealed. He wasn’t privy to this information last night when you and Mark left so he was definitely excited about this little development. That is until what you said to him sunk in. “Wait, you don’t remember who gave it to you?”

“No,” you whine at him. “I don’t know what you put in those drinks but I don’t remember a damn thing.”

Jackson shakes his head at Mark’s luck, or lack thereof. Looks like his job as wingman is not quite finished yet. “You should ask Mark about it,” Jackson says slyly. You were about to inform him that you already had this morning, but Jackson is quicker yet again, “Considering he was the one that gave it to you.”

Whatever retort you had ready for him, along with all other thoughts in your mind, flew out the window as soon as he said this. Jackson found out about your crush on Mark a few months ago when he caught you daydreaming, but he had never used it against you. You’ve known him for years and know that he would never say anything like this just to tease you. Besides, with the way Jackson was looking at you expectantly, you already knew he was telling the truth.

Jackson sees the way your smile falters and wonders why his revelation would cause you to react this way. You should be ecstatic and thanking him. Before he could ask what was up, you quickly grab your bag and dart out the door, rushing to get home.

Mark finally resurfaces from his room, unable to take his hunger anymore. He notices that the apartment is quiet —  too quiet for his liking —  but thought nothing of it until he reaches the fridge and notices the note on the door. The note read:

_Mark, I had to go and rescue Jackson today at the cafe since someone called in sick. We will be closing together but I should be back in time to make you some dinner!_

Mark curses before sprinting back to his room to grab his phone. He quickly locates Jackson’s contact and dials him, hoping that he can get to him on time. Jackson finally picks up after the fifth ring and could barely get the word ’ _hello_ ’ out before Mark speaks.

“Listen, I need you to do me a favour,” Mark sighs. “I need you to not tell y/n anything that happened last night. She doesn’t remember a thing and I’ve already told her that I didn’t know either. I chickened out, I know, but I think it’s better this way. So even though you are trying to help, please just don’t say anything.”

“I’m sorry man,” Jackson says hesitantly and Mark holds his breath. “I didn’t know that she had already asked you and I ended up telling her that it was you.”

“FUCK!”

“Fuck is right. I should probably also tell you that she ran off. I tried to stop her but I still had to lock up here. She’s probably on the way back right now.”

* * *

Your mind was a mess as you left work. Jackson definitely isn’t lying to you, so why would Mark? You think back through the whole time you’ve known Mark and you don’t feel that he’s lied to you about anything else. A flurry of questions enter your mind as you continue your venture home.

Is he lying? Why would he lie? Does he remember? Did he forget? Does it mean anything? Does he like you? **  
**

You halt in your tracks.  _Oh my God_. Does he like you? You two  _are_  a lot closer than most roommates so there is a chance that he gained feelings for you like you did for him.

You are halfway home with the biggest smile on your face when an unwelcome thought plagues your mind and you halt for a second time.

What if he doesn’t like you? You felt that Mark was out of your league so this would not be surprising. What if he was glad you didn’t remember so that he wouldn’t have to either? What if it was all a drunken mistake? Should you pretend like you didn’t hear anything from Jackson?

You feel sick to your stomach. You don’t know what to do. You normally avoid confrontation but you don’t want to miss the opportunity  _if_  he does return your feelings. On the other side of the equation, you don’t want to ruin your friendship if it turns out that he doesn’t feel the same.

You start making your way home again, hoping to have made a decision by the time you get there.

“Mark?” You called out as soon as you entered the apartment.

“Shit,” Mark hissed through the phone. “She’s here. What do I do?”

“Tell her everything!” Jackson exclaims.

“Mark? Are you home?”

Mark doesn’t want to hear Jackson’s advice anymore since it all involves telling you he had feelings for you, so he hung up. He quickly gave himself a pep talk, strengthening his walls up, before going out to see you.

“Hey, you’re home,” he finds you standing by the kitchen. “How was work with Jackson?”  _Shit, wrong move_.

“It was fine,” you answer hesitantly. “It was pretty quiet so we just spent most of the time talking about the party.”

“Huh,” he replies nonchalant. He mentally gave himself a pat on the back as he succeeded in masking his emotions.

“Yeah, I wanted to find out if he remembered anything about this thing,” you gesture towards your neck. “You really don’t remember anything about it?”

Mark steels himself before replying, “nope.”

You sigh, it looks like Mark has made the decision for you.

“Jackson didn’t tell you?” Mark asks curiously, preparing his denial in his head in case you say yes.

“No,” you make your choice too, based on his. “He said he didn’t remember anything.”

Mark watches you carefully as he wonders why you lied about Jackson’s revelation. You are staring at your feet and worrying your lip. Your whole body is screaming the fact that you know the truth, yet your words beg to differ. He starts to believe that Jackson may be wrong about how you feel towards him. Why else would you hide the truth?

You take a deep breath to rein in your emotions, begging for your tears not to betray you as you ask, “are you hungry? I can cook since I owe you dinner for taking care of me last night.”  _Say yes_.

“Don’t worry about cooking,” Mark replies. “I was going to head out to eat.”  _Ask me to stay._

“Oh, that’s fine. I was tired from work anyway.”  _Ask me to come with you._

“Cool. I’ll just head out then.”  _Say you want to come with me_.

“Have fun,” you smile. “I’m going to turn in.”  _Stay with me_.

You both stand there looking at each other, before you head off into opposite directions. With your hand on your bedroom door and his on the front door, you both hesitate. He takes a look at the back of your head before stepping out the door and you look back in time to see it shut.

* * *

The weeks following that night were awkward at best. This was worse than the time you were avoiding him and obviously this time, he was the one avoiding you. You’re not sure why and by now, you really didn’t need to know. Everything changed that night and you have accepted it and moved on.

It’s clear he had too, considering he was out almost every night and back to his former habit when it comes to dealing with his issues. You were constantly met with the women in the morning, just before they leave for their ‘ _walk of shame_ ’, and in the evening by the marks on his body if you happened to be graced by his presence.

Your relationship with him was reduced to murmurs of ‘ _hellos_ ’ and ‘ _goodbyes_ ’ before heading off to completely separate directions in your home. He had not made a conscious effort to change that, so neither did you.

You had to say goodbye to your movie nights and the Saturdays you used to spent with him as he said goodbye to your breakfasts and dinners. You were now living with a complete stranger and found yourself sometimes looking at rental pages before you could talk yourself out of it.

There was one positive thing that came out of this though. You realised your self worth. After endless nights of sulking, thinking that you weren’t good enough for anybody, a phone call from Jaebeom set everything straight.

You copped an earful from him, as he explained how sick and tired he was of you doing this to yourself for the past few years. He watched you shut down and close yourself off after your last failed relationship and he wasn’t having it anymore.

Jaebeom made you see yourself the way that he saw you, helping you gain your confidence back. There was only thing left to do after that, and it was to get yourself back on the market. So, he had gone ahead and set you up on a blind date.

Yoongi was a great guy and you had gone on a few amazing dates with him. He was a music major just like Jaebeom and that’s how they became friends. He was intelligent and incredibly attractive — his gummy smile sending your heart into overdrive every time he graced you with it.

After having another great time at the amusement park, you make the decision to  _take him home_. You send a quick text to Mark — you still follow the rules even though you barely have a roommate nowadays — just so he’d know to steer clear.

You take Yoongi’s hand before whispering your intentions in his ear. His sly grin lets you know that you’ve made the right decision and next thing you know, you’re both speed walking back into his car to get home.

* * *

“She’s dating someone?” Mark asks his two friends who are sitting with him at the bar. He read your text over and over again just to make sure he was seeing it right.

“Who’s  _she_?” Jackson asks, sipping on his beer.

“You already know who,” Jaebeom replies after he asks the bartender for another bottle.

“Oh…” Jackson acknowledges with a smirk.

“Did you know about this?” Mark asks Jackson.

“I most certainly did  _not_ ,” the man in question scoffs. “You ought to ask the other one.”

Mark turns to look at Jaebeom, who has a smug look on his face.

“Yeah I knew about it,” Jaebeom shrugs. “I was the one who set her up with Yoongi after all.”

Jaebeom’s reply sends Mark into a coughing fit when the beer he was swallowing was sent down the wrong pipe in his shock, “you set her up with  _Yoongi_?!”

“I did. I know you all think he’s a fuckboy, and I mean, he is, but he’s been in love with her for the longest time. She would be the one person he would settle down for.”

“It’s literally been one date,” Mark scoffs again. “And he’s going to our place. I’m sure they’ll just sit there and watch a movie or something.”

“Actually,” Jaebeom counters with a smirk. “It’s their  _fifth_  date. So we all know  _why_  he’s going back to your place.”

Mark looks at Jaebeom incredulously for signs that he was just pulling his leg, and is surprised when he finds none. Jaebeom was telling the truth.  _Shit_. Mark gets up, grabbing a handful of cash from his wallet to place on the counter before heading out of the bar.

Jackson chugs the rest of his beer down as he watches Mark’s retreating form, “this plan of yours is a bit extreme isn’t it?”

“Desperate times,” Jaebeom lifts his bottle for a toast. “Calls for desperate measures. Besides, your plan was taking too long.”

“Someone is going to get hurt. You know that right?”

“Everybody hurts, Jackson. But it all leads to bigger and better things in the end. Love isn’t always sunshine and rainbows.”

“I hope you’re right.”

* * *

Luckily, the bar was a lot closer to the apartment than wherever the hell it is you went to for your date, so Mark had beaten you there. He was still surprised though, considering the amount of alcohol he had consumed with the others. On his way home, he thought about how he could stop the situation with you and Yoongi from progressing, but he was unsure of which option to go with.

As he settles on his bed, he hears the apartment door open and your giggles fill the room.  _God, did he miss that sound_. He hears what he assumes to be clothing falling on the floor before he hears something hit the wall with a  _thud_. It’s followed by the sinful sound of your moan and he springs into action.  _Those are mine._

Once he decided on what he needed to do, he takes a deep breath and gives himself one final pep talk. He wasn’t prepared for Yoongi to see him like this, but he needed to do something big to make it work. He wasn’t prepared to lose you without a fight. He takes another deep breath before opening his door and walking out.

“Mark!” You shriek as you shove Yoongi away and try to grab a cushion to cover your now exposed chest. Yoongi quickly tosses your flannel shirt over so that you could cover yourself. You look over at Mark incredulously, who is standing there with nothing but a pair of black boxers on and the biggest smile on his face. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here,” Mark answers before looking over at Yoongi. “Min, what brings you here?”

“Tuan,” Yoongi addresses him. “Wasn’t it obvious? Anyway, I didn’t realise that you guys were roommates —”

“What are you doing here?” You huff at your idiot of a roommate. “I sent you a text message. You knew you had to steer clear.”

“I didn’t see it.”

You grab your phone from your purse and open up the message box you have with him — pointing out the very obvious double blue ticks — to show that he had read them. Mark pokes his tongue in his cheek because he can’t come up with an excuse. He knows he’s been caught.

“What are you doing?” You whisper to him.

“You interrupted my time with Nel and now I’m interrupting your time with Yoongi,” He answers smugly.  _Yes, that’s the best he can come up with_.

“Are you serious right now? That was your fault —”

“You should’ve texted you were coming home —”

“Am I missing something here?” Yoongi interrupts you both.

“NO.”

“YES.”

“I saw you guys at Bam’s party,” Yoongi sighs before looking at you. “That’s why I never approached you. You said nothing happened with you two.”

“Nothing happened,” You assure him.

“If you saw us at Bam’s then you should’ve seen that I marked her,” Mark taunts Yoongi.

“I’m outta here,” Yoongi announces with a sigh. He puts the rest of his clothing back on before heading out the door as Mark stood there with a victorious smirk on his face.

“Wait,” you call after Yoongi and chase after him. Mark tries to stop you from heading out but you shove him off and slam the door in his face.

* * *

You were gone for two hours. You walk back into your apartment and spot Mark sitting on the stool by the kitchen counter, fully clothed this time. You could tell he had a few more to drink because you could smell it from the door. He turns your way and was about to say something sarcastic, but stops himself when he sees the expression on your face.

“What the fuck was that?!” You ask angrily as you approach him. “What did I ever do to you to deserve that?”

“You didn’t do anything —”

“Oh, so you were just being an asshole then?”

“Listen,” Mark tries to say as calmly as he could, his temper rising due to the amount of drinks he had consumed. “I just didn’t think it was appropriate for you to bring anyone home after that night —”

“But it’s okay for you to bring people home?”

“Of course it is!” Mark yells, tired of your interruptions. “This is my apartment —”

“This is OUR apartment, Mark! I pay rent too!”

“That doesn’t mean shit!” He spits out, unable to control his emotions. “I was here first! And you just fucking walked in and fucked everything up! I was doing fine without you!”

You close your eyes as his words sink in. As far as you knew, you hadn’t done anything to warrant his behaviour. You couldn’t understand where all of this was coming from. You take a deep breath and try a calmer approach this time, not wanting Mark to spit out more words that can hurt you. Unfortunately, Mark had other ideas.

“If anything, you should be thanking me,” he boasts. “I saved your heart from getting broken by that asshole.”

“I really liked him and you just —”

“He is a  _fuckboy_. He doesn’t like anything but getting that —”

“He  _liked_  me!” You exclaim at him.

“And you think that’s enough to change him?!” Mark challenges. “That you’re enough to change him? You’re not that  _special_ , love. He only likes you because you have tits —”

A resounding slap is heard echoing in your apartment. The shock and the sting on Mark’s face sobers him up. Tears are flowing freely from your face and you’re shaking like a leaf from the adrenaline coursing through your body. Mark looks at your broken figure and can see how much he had hurt you.

Mark can feel the tears stinging his eyes, wanting to escape. He carefully lifts his hands up as a sign of surrender. He takes a step towards you, wanting to make things right but you just shake your head before turning to run into your bedroom and locking the door, leaving Mark alone in the living room.

Mark eventually walks into his room and leans on the closed door behind him. He slides down to the floor and hangs his head in shame.

_What the fuck was I thinking? What have I done?_


	9. Finally

The night was rough for the both of you.

As soon as you’d lock the door, you jumped straight on your bed to cry yourself to sleep. But sleep never came. Everything hurt and no amount of tears could alleviate the ache in your heart.

About an hour in, Mark starts knocking on your door. You don’t understand a thing he’s saying because he’s trying to speak through his sobs. Your pride won’t let you go to comfort him even as your heart begs for you to do so.

You realise that this is why you’re hurting so much. You’d tricked yourself to thinking that it was about losing Yoongi when deep down you knew that it was because of Mark. Everything always leads back to him.

After the repercussions of Bam’s party, you did try your best to get over him. You avoided him and concentrated on loving yourself. You even went back to dating thinking that it would help. You succeeded in everything but moving on. Yoongi was great, but he wasn’t Mark.

Thinking back to the events leading up to now, you couldn’t understand the hostility he threw at you tonight. He said that  ‘ _you fucked everything up_ ’ and that ‘ _you weren’t that special_ ’. As the hurtful words ring in your head, a few questions start to arise. Did he really mean them? Or was it the alcohol talking? Why would he say those things? Were you strong enough to find out?

Another hour later and Mark is still at your door. He’s softly tapping at it, quietly begging for you to let him in. His voice is raspy from talking through all his sobbing and you probably wouldn’t have heard his apologies if you hadn’t gone to sit behind the door. This was the best your pride had allowed you to do.

Sleep was about to consume you from where you were sitting, when a soft  _thud_  jolts you wide awake. You put your ear against the door to try and listen out for Mark but can’t hear anything. Your mind was telling you to stay put, but your heart had come out stronger. There was no way that you wouldn’t check on him, worried about what could be happening.

You open the door quietly and peek your head out to see him lying on the floor. You are filled with panic for a moment until you see his chest rise up and down as he breathes.  _He’s fallen asleep_. You shake your head before taking this moment to sit beside him and watch him.

Mark looks so peaceful like this. You smile sadly, knowing that this moment won’t last. You brush his hair away from his face and etch this image in your memory, knowing that after tonight, nothing would ever be the same and that there was a chance that you’d never get to do this again.

You might be angry at him right now but you know that you cannot leave him lying on the floor like this. You try to wake him up to no avail, he was out like a light. You also tried to lift him up but unfortunately his tiredness made him dead weight. There was only one thing left to do, so you go to his room to grab his pillow and blanket so that you could at least make him comfortable as he slept on the floor.

You brave a kiss on his temple, your lips lingering as long as they could. You look back at him one last time, before going back to lock yourself in your room.

* * *

You plop yourself down on the table by the window in your campus library. It’s far too early for anyone else but the librarian to be there, so it allowed you a few more hours of peace. You left your apartment in haste this morning, not wanting to be there when Mark woke up, and you didn’t know where else to go.

You check your watch after a while and headed off to where you needed to be. As soon as you exit the library however, you were met with strangers’ questioning stares as they whisper things to each other. It looks like the news that you and Yoongi were no longer together already hit campus. You shouldn’t have expected anything different. He was rather popular after all.

You finally steel yourself before going on your way again. You needed to get to the music building before their classes started so you could speak with Yoongi. You decided last night to explain everything to him — not in the hopes of getting him back — you just didn’t think it was right to leave things the way they were.

You finally spot his glorious grey locks and you plaster a smile on your face as you try to approach him. A few steps in his direction and the smile on your face falters, as you notice his arm slung over another girl’s shoulders before he drags her closer to him for a heated kiss.

Suddenly, Mark’s words about Yoongi enter your mind. He really was just a  _fuckboy_. You feel numb. You guess that Mark was right, you really weren’t that ‘ _special_ ’. Not to Yoongi anyway. You laugh bitterly to yourself before heading back to the library.

* * *

“You look like shit,” a familiar voice gets you out of your own head.

“Good morning to you too, Jae,” you reply, watching him take a seat across from you. “Why aren’t you in class?”

“I just felt like you needed me today,” You raise your eyebrow at his reply, unhappy with it. “I mean, I saw you and Yoongi outside of the music building and  _knew_  you needed me today.”

You offer him a small smile as you watch your hands fiddling with the rings on your fingers, “I assume you heard too?”

“I did,” Jaebeom sighs. “Wanna talk about it?”

You flash him a genuine smile this time. You truly were lucky to have him as your best friend. You start telling him about what happened last night and this morning, including the fight with Mark. Jaebeom listens intently without interruptions.

Once you’ve divulged everything, Jaebeom abruptly stands up and slings his backpack on as he announces that there’s somewhere he needs to be.

“Don’t do anything stupid for me,” you warn him gently with a smile, already knowing where he was headed.

“ _As if_ ,” Jaebeom replies before walking over to your side of the table to ruffle your hair. He plants a quick kiss on the top of your head before heading out of the library.

* * *

Mark wakes up groggily from his slumber on the floor. The first thing he notices when he opens his eyes is his blanket. He also realised that he’s laying on his pillow even though he didn’t remember taking them with him, when he had gone to your door to apologise profusely. He checks his surroundings and right by his feet, he notices your bedroom door open.

He springs quickly to his feet, entering your room to find it vacant. He calls out for you as he checks every corner in the apartment to find you gone. He catches a glimpse of the time and curses, knowing you were already at campus and he had missed you. He quickly jumps into the shower, getting ready to go out and search for you.

Mark needed to make this right. He realised the gravity of his words and actions and how much he had hurt you. He would usually let the fight pass until one of you forgot about it but he knew that wasn’t possible this time. He had gone too far and he had hurt you too much. The look of hurt on your face last night, would serve as a constant reminder, that this was something he needed to amend.

Just as he was about to put his shoes on, he hears someone knocking on the front door. He opens the door to see Jaebeom standing there and before he could even say anything, Jaebeom grabs him by the collar and pushes him through his apartment and against the nearest wall.

“What the fuck?!” Mark asks even though he’s almost sure he knows why Jaebeom is pissed.

“How could say that shit to her?!” Jaebeom snaps back.

Mark is fuming. He knows that Jaebeom is your best friend — and that he had every reason to be mad — but he can’t fathom why he would set you up with that asshole, so his anger on this issue outweighs Jaebeom’s. Mark grabs him by the collar and pivots, so now it’s Jaebeom’s turn to be slammed against the wall.

“How could you set her up with  _him_?!” Mark seethes. “That asshole does not care about anybody but himself. He doesn’t give a shit about love. He takes and he takes, not caring about who and what he’s destroying as long as he can get his dick wet. And you went ahead and set him up with her!”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Jaebeom asks trying to shove Mark off but he is unsuccessful even though he is stronger. “He’s been in love with her for a long time!”

“That dickhead wouldn’t know what love is even if it him in the face!”

“How would you even know that? You barely talk to each other.”

“Holly slept with  _him_ ,” Mark spits as he lets Jaebeom go. “Yoongi is the guy she cheated with.”

Jaebeom looks at Mark in question before he curses, “shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

_Holly was Mark’s last ex-girlfriend. They had been together for years and he even thought that she was the one that he would spend the rest of his life with. Yoongi came into their lives and ruined it, destroying everything that they had worked so hard to build with promises of a better future._

_Mark had found Holly in a mess not even a week later, at the bar he works at. Yoongi had dumped her unceremoniously, citing that ‘he’s already had a taste’ and that he didn’t need her anymore. Holly had begged for Mark to take her back and while he still loved her, there was just no going back. There was no fixing what was broken._

“I didn’t go about it the right way,” Mark sighs. “But I was trying to protect her. Tell me I was wrong.”

“You weren’t. She came to see him this morning but he was already hooking up with another girl.”

“ _God fucking damn it_! I’m going to murder that asshole!”

“You have bigger things to worry about,” Jaebeom reminds him. “You need to make things right.”

“I tried to last night. She wouldn’t hear a bar of it. Wouldn’t even open her door. I fell asleep in front of it asking for forgiveness.”

“Did she leave you a blanket and a pillow?” Jaebum enquires and Mark nods. Jaebeom realises that you aren’t as mad, as this was something you used to do for him every time the two of you had a fight. “That means you at least have a chance. I know what she’s like, she’s going to avoid you at all costs. You’re not going to give her up are you?”

“No,” Mark answers with determination. “Not this time.”

“You’re going to have to give her some space,” Jaebeom instructs carefully. “Just not too much or you’ll lose your chance. And for God’s sake, just tell her how you feel already.”

Mark heeds his words carefully, preparing himself for the challenge ahead.

* * *

Unfortunately for Mark, his schedule for college and work picked up. He had continuously tried to catch even a glimpse of you by rushing to get home and trying to wake up early, but he had been unsuccessful. You managed to dodge him even on the days that you were meant to be free. It was starting to drive him mental because this meant that he can’t apologise and make it up to you, let alone confess his feelings for you.

You check your calendar and give yourself a pat on the back. It had been two weeks since that incident and you had successfully avoided Mark at all costs. You had picked up extra shifts at the cafe and did most of your studying in the library, which meant that you were barely at the apartment.

You arrive at your shift in the cafe, and Jackson couldn’t help but notice the smile on your face and the joy in your step.

“Someone’s chirpy this morning,” Jackson greets you before looking at his watch. “And it’s only five AM! That has to be a new record for you!”

“Shut up,” you reply playfully. “Am I not allowed to be happy?”

“Darling, of course you are,” Jackson slings his arm over your shoulder. “But, I know you. Something’s happened. Come on. Spill the tea.”

You laugh at Jackson’s antics before removing his arm from your shoulder. You throw a playful smirk at him as you walk away, “I have a  _special_  date tonight.”

The smile on Jackson’s face is so bright it could rival the sun. He is super excited as he congratulates Mark in his mind. He can’t believe his best friend had finally done it. He didn’t want you to think that he had figured it out so he pretended he was none the wiser and went ahead to ask you who your date was.

“Park, Jinyoung,” you reply with a giggle.

“Wait, what?” Jackson is confused. “Did you say  _Park, Jinyoung_? As in the dickbag that put gum in your hair when we were kids?”

“Yes! Except he’s not a dickbag anymore.”

“How did this happen?”

You tell Jackson everything. How Jinyoung — a performance arts major — transferred to one of your Lit classes because he had a clash in his schedule. He had sat next to you in the lecture hall as you were a familiar face and the two of you ended up catching up after class. One thing led to another and you were now dating.

“How does Mark feel about this?” Jackson asks curiously, wondering why his friend had done nothing to stop this from happening.

“I don’t know,” you shrug. “He doesn’t know about it. We haven’t spoken in weeks.”

Jackson gapes, “still?! Doesn’t he see Jinyoung come over?”

“No. I haven’t really been at the apartment and it really doesn’t concern him. Besides, I’ve learnt my lesson so I’ve been hanging at Jinyoung’s instead.”

“You’re really never going to talk to him again?”

“I wouldn’t say never,” you sigh. “I just… need more time.”

“But you still like him,” Jackson notes. “Don’t you? I don’t think Jinyoung would appreciate sharing.”  _Neither would Mark_.

“I am  _almost_  over him,” you lie through your teeth — you’re not anywhere near over Mark but at least you need to  _try_.

Jackson lets it go, knowing that if he pushed you too far, you would do the opposite of what he wants you to do. He just makes a mental note to visit your apartment after work to let Mark know without you knowing.

“I see you haven’t changed the passcode,” Jackson announces as he enters.

Mark closes his eyes hoping that the voice he just heard was a pigment of his imagination. Unfortunately, Jackson is still there smiling brightly as soon as he opens them, “I will definitely be changing it now.”

“Why haven’t you spoken to her?” Jackson queries as he makes himself comfortable on the couch.

“Don’t you think I’ve tried?” Mark replies exasperated as he heads off into the kitchen. “She never picks up her phone and she’s never home. Every time I try to catch her at uni, she has magically disappeared.”

“Well, you need to try harder. She’s seeing Jinyoung.”

“Who the fuck is Jinyoung?!”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jackson waves off his question. “All you need to know is she’s trying to get over you so you need to try harder.”

“Trying to get over me? She doesn’t even like me!”

“Here we go again,” Jackson sighs, getting up to drag Mark to sit on the couch as he crouches in front of him. “Listen to me, very carefully.  _She likes you. SHE. LIKES. YOU_. I even asked her about it today.”

“Then why is she dating this Jin — whatever his face is?”

“Because she’s trying to get over you. She probably thinks you’re not trying hard enough. So please, for the love of everything that is holy,  _try harder_. She’s at his place tonight for another date. I don’t know how many they’ve had, but I don’t want you to lose her.”

“Fine,” Mark replies deflated. “Jaebeom’s at the studio tonight but I’ll speak to him tomorrow. I’ll see if there’s anything he can help me with.”

“I’ll look at her roster at the cafe too,” Jackson offers. “I’ll send you a copy so you know when to try and intercept her.”

Mark nods in thanks, appreciating all the help he can get.

* * *

You arrive at Jinyoung’s just after he finishes making dinner. It had been a lovely meal filled with wine, laughter and some kissing. After dessert, you had both settled on the couch with Jinyoung setting up a movie as you pour more wine.

Halfway through the movie, Jinyoung had put his arm around you and drawn you closer. As you cuddled into his side, he started drawing patterns on the skin of your arm. He plants a quick peck on your cheek, which turned into a make out session as soon as you turned to face him.

Jinyoung’s kisses deepened and you knew where it would lead. You tried to be in the moment as much as you could, almost forcing yourself to kiss back with the same fervor. Your body starts to respond to him, but unfortunately, your mind and your heart had other ideas.

You don’t know how it happened (well you do), but you started to imagine Jinyoung as Mark. With your eyes closed, all you could see was Mark. You started to wonder what his lips and body would feel like against yours and how the two of you would mould together in perfect harmony.

Jinyoung’s movements become hungrier and more heated at your response. Things are starting to escalate and you know that you need to stop it now before it’s too late. You don’t want to hurt him like this because he doesn’t deserve it. You finally will yourself to push him away.

“I’m sorry,” you breathe against his lips, tears threatening to escape. “I can’t do this, Jinyoung. I’m so sorry.”

“Is it because of Mark?” He pulls away as he asks you, leaving you in shock.

“What?”

“Is it because of  _Mark?_ ” Jinyoung repeats. “You let his name slip the other night as you were sleeping.”

“Oh God Jinyoung, I… I’m sorry,” you wipe your tears as you apologise. “I… I really didn’t mean for this to happen. I should go. You deserve so much more than this.”

You quickly get up to put your shoes on and grab your purse. You can see Jinyoung sitting there, trying to process everything until he finally snaps out of it.

“Wait,” he calls out. “At least let me drive you home and —”

“You had too much to drink.”

“I can call you a cab and —”

“I can catch the bus.”

“It’s raining out there and —”

“Jinyoung,” you grab his face in your hands. “I’m so sorry. I hope you find someone who will treat you better than I ever did.”

You give him one last kiss before stepping out of his apartment, out of his building and into the rain. The downpour was harder than you thought and you were drenched in seconds. You can barely see in front of you but you run to the direction of the nearest bus stop in hopes of seeking shelter.

Jinyoung finally snaps out of his gaze and tries to call out to you but you were long gone. He calls you multiple times and you finally answered informing him that he didn’t need to worry because the bus was approaching. He takes your word for it and wishes you all the best. Your thankful that he believes your lie as you sit down at the shelter, your tears mixing with the raindrops on your face.

* * *

“Hello?” Jaebeom answers his phone, even though he is at the studio tonight. He knew you were supposed to be at Jinyoung’s so the fact that you’re calling him is a slight concern.

“I know you’re at the studio tonight,” you try to keep your voice steady so he doesn’t know you’ve been crying. “But do you think you can come and pick me up at the bus stop near Jinyoung’s? I missed the last one and this rain isn’t letting up.”

“Why can’t Jinyoung drive you?”

“He’s had a few drinks.”

“Why can’t you stay there then?”

“I.. I just don’t think —”

“What happened?” Jaebeom prods knowing you’re hiding something from him.

You break down in tears — no longer able to hold them in — as you tell him about the events that transpired between you and Jinyoung tonight. Jaebeom listens intently without interruption before sighing and instructing you to stay where you were and that he would pick you up.

Jaebeom sits there for a moment contemplating his next move. He’s almost sure you’re going to kill him for this but he’s counting on the fact that you may also thank him for it. He shoots Mark a text message.

> **[00:15] def:**  she broke up with jinyoung tonight  
>  **[00:15] def:**  because she still has feelings for you  
>  **[00:16] def:**  *sends location*  
>  **[00:16] def:**  go and get our girl  
>  **[00:17] def:**  give her your oversized hoodie  
>  **[00:17] def:**  and some chamomile tea  
>  **[00:18] def:**  do not fuck this up

Mark springs to his feet at Jaebeom’s message. He can  _finally_  make this right.

> **[00:20] mtuna:**  i owe you!

* * *

As you sit there shivering in the cold, you start to wonder what is taking Jaebeom so long. You turn to your left and see a car approaching allowing you to sigh in relief. Though when the car pulls out in front of you, it starts to dawn on you that this isn’t Jaebeom’s car.

Mark winds down the window and calls out, “Get in!”

“What are you doing here?!” You yell loud enough so he’d hear you through the rain.

“Jaebeom asked me to come and get you!” Mark informs you. “Now, come on! You’re going to get sick!”

“I’ll just call a cab!”

Mark rolls his eyes. “I’m already here! Just get in the car please, and let me take you home.”

You stand there contemplating your options when your phone makes the decision for you.

> **[00:45] beombeom:**  i can feel you hesitating from here  
>  **[00:45] beombeom:**  get in the damn car

You roll your eyes before stuffing your phone back in your bag and getting into Mark’s car. He’s already laid out some towels on the seat, and had given you some more to dry yourself with. He holds one in his hands and hesitates, “May I?”

You give him a small nod and he puts the towel on your head to dry your hair as you deal with the rest of your body. His movements are gentle and careful and surprisingly calming for you. He pulls it off once he’s happy with his work before turning on the heat and driving home.

The drive home was spent in silence, but not the awkward type. It’s like you were both enjoying the calm before the storm. The rain even slowed itself to sprinkles before completely stopping as soon as you arrived home.

“I left some clothes for you in the bathroom,” Mark instructs as soon as you step through the door. “You can leave your clothes in the spare basket and I will go and get them dry for you tomorrow.”

“Don’t you have work?” You query and Mark shakes his head.

“My boss gave me a day off. Now, come on. Have a warm shower or you’ll get sick.”

You give him a small smile before doing as he says. When you’d finished and come out of the bathroom, he was sitting by the couch with some tea in front of him. You approach carefully and see that it’s your favourite.

“I thought you might like some tea,” Mark smiles sheepishly before laughing at your accusing gaze. “Okay, Jaebeom told me you’d want some tea.”

“I assume this hoodie was his idea as well then?”

Mark nods and jokes, “I’m glad I don’t have to fight you for you to wear it.”

You look at him with a sombre expression before taking a seat on the couch next to him. You take the tea that he offers you and take a few sips as you decide on what to say.

“I’m sick of fighting you,” you start. “I feel like all we do is fight and I’m tired.”

Mark sighs, “Me too.”

A few more moments of silence pass by before Mark speaks again, this time apologising for that night.

“I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have done any of the things I did that night. I know who Yoongi is, better than anyone. So when I heard you were dating him, I… I was ang— no. I was worried.”

“What do you mean that you know him better than anyone?”

Mark takes a deep breath before sharing the same story of his past with Yoongi that he shared with Jaebeom, with you. Your eyes are wide in shock as he peels off the layers of his walls slowly.

“Did Jae know about this?”

“No, he didn’t. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have set you two up. If I had known, I would’ve told you this earlier to stop you from getting hurt. And now, I’m the one that ended up hurting you.”

“Mark—”

He shakes his head and wills for you to listen, “I.. I know I used the wrong words that night, but I was trying to protect you. I don’t want to use the excuse that I was drunk, because I’ve hurt you before, even when I was sober. I’m just— I’m so sorry. Those words that came out of my mouth aren’t what I think of you at all. You didn’t fuck anything up and you are special to—”

“Then why would you say those things? Why ignore me for weeks? Why lie about marking me at Bam’s party?”

Mark finally wills himself to look at you, wanting to answer those question as he looks you in the eye so that you would know that he was telling the truth. But he almost wished he didn’t, after seeing your tear stained face. Tears caused by him,  _again_.

Mark lifts his hands to cup your face and is thankful that you don’t flinch or push him away. He caresses the tears away with his thumbs. He gives you a small smile before continuing.

“Before I answer those questions,” Mark smirks a little. “I’d like to point out that I wasn’t the only doing the ignoring, and that I wasn’t the only one who lied about the events of Bam’s party.”

You knew he was right. He is about to put everything on the table and you should do the same. “I also take fault for that.”

“Thank you,” Mark replies. “Back to your questions. Now, I know this sounds stupid, but I unfortunately said these things as a late reaction to the things that you’ve said to me. I know it doesn’t excuse the behaviour but, I was hurt too.”

“Things I said to you?” You ask after trying to think about anything hurtful that you could’ve said, but you came up short.

“Okay,” Mark moves his hands to grab yours, holding them tightly on your lap whilst you try to calm your fluttering heart. “First things first, BamBam’s party. We both had more than a few drinks and we ended up playing seven minutes in heaven.”

“Of course we did. Remind me to murder Jackson for that one.”

Mark gifts you the infamous laugh that you miss before continuing, “I spun the bottle and it landed on you. We both got in the cupboard and at first, things were so awkward and it was tight in there but then one thing lead to another and that is why you ended up with the mark on your neck. I had asked you to come home with me, which you agreed to, but then you passed out in the cab and you didn’t remember anything the next day.”

You were mortified and your grip on his hand tightened, “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”

“I tried to, but then you interrupted me and said that because you couldn’t remember it, then the person that gave it you  _must not have been important or worth remembering._ ”

As he uttered the words you had once said to him, it was like a slap in the face. You remember it so clearly now, even the flash of hurt that came across his face that you didn’t notice before. That’s why he denied it twice. Once when you asked him before speaking to Jackson, and once again after you knew the truth.

“I am so, so sorry Mark. I didn’t realise. I didn’t even think about the words that I was saying. I.. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know,” Mark sighs. “But that was one of the reasons why I ended up ignoring you. I needed space. I was so happy that things were finally progressing and then that happened and—”

“Progressing?” You raise a brow.

“You’re really going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

“Say what?” You feign innocence and he laughs.

“Yeah, okay. Look, let’s go way back to the beginning. Boy, this is harder than I thought.”

Mark looks away but still holds your hands in his, before he confesses.

“I like you. Yes, as in  _LIKE_ , like you. Don’t look so surprised.”

“You like me?” You ask Mark in amazement and he laughs before nodding. “Since when?”

“Um… this is terribly embarrassing and totally creepy, but pretty much since you startled awake and wiped the drool off your chin when we first met.”

“I was not drooling!” You say offended. “And that’s totally creepy! But, if you like me, what was up with Nel? And all those other girls?

“A stupid attempt at trying to get over you. Especially when it makes me look like a total douchebag and I ended up hurting you in the process.”

You stay silent for awhile, staring at your joined hands as you let his confession sink in. You look up to see him watching you lovingly, and you know that it’s your turn now. You cup his face in your hands just as he did earlier.

“Mark, you didn’t need to go through all that trouble — and neither did I apparently, by dating Yoongi and Jinyoung. Especially since I like you, too.  _LIKE_ , like you.”

Mark flashes you his infamous smile that you hadn’t seen in so long. “We should’ve just been honest from the start.”

You hum in agreement, letting his face go and leaning your head on his chest. He is surprised by the action, but relaxes and wraps his arm around your back to rub it soothingly.

“What happens now?” Mark asks after a while.

“I still have a few reservations,” you say hesitantly. “Which I’m sure you understand. I need time. So I’d like to suggest starting over. We can get to know each other a bit more and go from there. That’s okay with you right?”

“Of course,” Mark agrees with a smile. “It’s already more than I deserve. I would happily start over and get to know you again. Take all the time that you need. We can go at your pace.”

“Thank you.”

“No. Thank  _you_. Now, what about some pizza to celebrate?”

* * *

You found yourselves catching up about the last few weeks, till the wee hours of the morning. Mark looks at his watch and notes that it’s three AM, before looking over to you leaning your head on his shoulder with your eyes closed. He can sense that you’re almost about to fall asleep so he nudges you gently to get you to bed.

“It’s time for bed,” he mumbles to you. “You don’t want to sleep here on the floor, trust me.”

“But you’re here,” you whisper back deliriously and he chuckles. “I’m going to bed too. And I’ll still be here in the morning and all the days after that. Come on, I’ll even tuck you in.”

You perk up at his offer and hold your arms out to him, “Please?”

Mark smiles before hooking his arms behind your knee and around your back, picking you up bridal style. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and bury your face in the crook of his neck, “You smell good.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to stop you right there,” Mark sighs as he gently lays you on the bed and pulls the covers over you. “You need time. Don’t make me cancel it,  _princess_.”

“So you’re the only one allowed to tease?”

“You started it!” Mark huffs. “Now, go to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Mark turns to leave but you’re quicker. You pull the covers off and stand up, grabbing his wrist to turn him to face you. You grab his shocked face and pull him towards you for a chaste kiss. Mark’s eyes widen in shock and he pushes you away.

“Why would you do that?!” Mark hisses. “ _That_  cannot be our first kiss!”

“What are you talking about? That isn’t our first kiss. Our first one was in BamBam’s closet.”

“Yeah, but this is our real first one as a couple!” Mark flails his arms around and you laugh. “Or  couple to be and it’s not funny.”

“Why are you so pressed about this? What was wrong with the kiss?”

“That’s not how I wanted our first kiss to be,” he sighs.

“And how did you want it to be?”

Mark runs his hands up your arm to meet at your neck, cupping your face to secure you in place. He looks back and forth between your eyes and your full lips as he bites his lip. He leans forward and you close your eyes in anticipation. You pucker your lips and wait as he nuzzles his nose against yours before he pulls away and kisses you on your forehead.

He laughs when he sees the adorable pout on your face, “Don’t be mad. I’m not cutting corners this time. I want to get it right because I want to be who you deserve.”

“Okay,” you sigh before going in to hug him. He is the first to pull away to tuck you back in to bed. “Goodnight Mark. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring.”

“I can’t either,” he smiles. “Goodnight, princess.”


	10. And They Were Roommates

_One month later._

Things between you and Mark had finally improved. You both started off slow, getting to know each other and hanging out again, just like you did when you first became his roommate. It was a bit awkward the first few days as Mark was being extra careful around you, but you’d finally pulled him aside to tell him to be himself and everything had gone back to the way it was.

Movie night and chore day was restored and so were the breakfasts and dinners, much to Mark’s delight. You also stopped by with Jaebeom on some of the quiet nights that Mark worked at the bar — and he would wake up early some days just to walk you to work and have breakfast with you there.

You still had arguments here and there. Why didn’t he replace the milk in the fridge? Why do you leave your bra out on the couch? Why doesn’t he realise how loud he can be when he’s gaming? Why do you wear his clothes without asking? You know, the little things that make the other endearing.

As you sit on the bar, watching Mark work — his arms on full display in a tank top due to the summer heat — you can’t help but be excited at the prospect of taking things further.

_Three months later._

As Mark sits on the balcony, sipping his beer whilst his arm is wrapped securely around you as you cuddled into him — he had never felt happier. He allowed things between the both of you to progress at your pace, so he had waited for you to make the first move every time.

You were first to grab his hand whilst out and about the other week and though he was successful in keeping the fluttering butterflies in his belly in check, he had been unable to suppress the biggest grin that adorned his face. The same thing happened when you first went to cuddle him and he had to force himself to calm down or you would be able to tell how fast his heart was beating.

There had been plenty of times when he wanted to kick himself for being an idiot and delaying this from happening, but never more so than today. Today is his birthday and you had been the best present he had received.

He had not wanted to inform you of when his birthday was for multiple reasons. One was because he didn’t want you to make a fuss — he wanted to be the one spoiling you to make up for the way he has treated you — he didn’t feel that he deserved anything from you yet.

The other was because his birthday fell on a Saturday. So he already knew that he was going to be spending the day with you no matter what, and there was nothing more he could ask for. He didn’t mind spending his birthday doing cleaning, the laundry and groceries, as long as he spent it with you. He had asked if the two of you would be doing something different this weekend in which you declined. So imagine his surprise when you came knocking on his door this morning.

_“Mark?” You called out from behind the door. “Wake up! I’m coming in. Are you decent?”_

_Mark quickly checks himself, “Yeah, come in!”_

_You open the door and peek at him with the biggest smile on your face that he can’t help but mirror. He motions for you to come in but you shake your head, grinning even wider before you pushed the door all the way open with your foot, walking in backwards with one huge balloon that read ‘Happy MORK Day!’ along with a scary amount of smaller balloons that now litter his ceiling._

_“Happy Birthday!”_

_“Thank you,” Mark beams. “Truly. Now, who spilt the beans?”_

_“I asked Jaebeom about it months ago,” you smile proudly. “I had a lot of things planned so I needed time to prep.”_

_“I don’t think there’s much prep required for washing and cleaning?”_

_“Oh, there would be none of that today.”_

_Mark furrows his brows, “But, it’s Saturday? Who else is going to do them?”_

_“I’ve already done them! I told you, I am prepared.”_

_Mark looks at you in question and you inform him that you had taken the day off yesterday to do all the chores that needed to be done. He hadn’t noticed the laundry or the groceries because you hid them in your room._

_“Okay,” you stop him from asking further questions. “No more questions or your breakfast will get cold!”_

_Before Mark could even say anything, you pushed yourself off the bed to go back to the kitchen. He had tried to go after you but you pushed him back and told him to stay in bed or there would be trouble. He shakes his head as he chuckles._

_Mark watches you come through the door again with a tray of his favourite breakfast — bacon, eggs, sausages along with baked beans and pancakes. “No, you didn’t.”_

_“Yes, I did. You are the birthday boy after all. Now eat up. We have a big day ahead of us!”_

_As soon as you both enjoyed breakfast, you quickly shoved him in the bathroom to get ready. He wiggled his eyebrows — asking you to join him in the shower to save time — loving the way your blush tints your cheeks before you playfully smacked him and closed the bathroom door._

_Mark cannot remember a time when he was the happiest or have had the most fun before today. You had spoilt him rotten — taking him to see a movie and lunch at his favourite diner before spending the rest of the day at the amusement park. You had gone on all his favourite rides, even when you were scared out of your wits and played all of his favourite games._

_You then made your way back home and napped together. You made sure you woke up earlier than him so you could make his favourite dish for dinner before having his birthday cake by the balcony. You sang an adorable rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ and asked him to make a wish before he blew out the candles._

“What did you wish for?”

“If I tell you,” he says before giving your temple a quick kiss. “Then it wouldn’t come true.”

Mark laughs at your adorable pout before you shut him up by giving him a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth. You pull back with a sly grin before cuddling back into him.

Best. Birthday. Ever.

_Six months later — D-Day_

You sigh as you take another long look at your calendar, with a big red ‘X’ on today. Today is a big day. Today is  _THE_  day. You have a lot of things to do and you have to force yourself to take a deep breath before it starts to overwhelm you.

First things first,  _get your lease sorted_. Today marks the day that you moved in a year ago and when your lease is due to end. You haven’t been able to discuss it with Mark due to your busy schedules during finals, and at the same time, it also felt like you were both avoiding the issue.

_You had officially started dating about a month ago during another one of BamBam’s parties. You and Mark had both attended and found yourselves in the closet again after Jackson had convinced you guys to play another game of ‘seven minutes in heaven’ — though this time it was sans the alcohol._

_You were both standing there awkwardly because Mark was still hesitant to make any moves on you until you were ready. You roll your eyes and pull him in for a kiss but he was quick in deflecting you this time, stating that you are not going to kiss again until you were officially a couple._

_“Let’s make it official then!” you exclaim._

_“What?”_

_“Mark, come on. Just ask me out already. We have been dancing around each other for 5 months. I’ve been ready since before your birthday and—”_

_You don’t get to finish your sentence as Mark pulls you to him and crashes his lips against yours. The feeling this time is different since you’re both sober. It was so fiery and so intense that you can’t help but moan into his mouth, allowing him to enter with his tongue. Full of tongues dancing and teeth clashing, you still want more and your grind yourself against him._

_Mark pulls away and holds you as far away from him as he can. You whine and try to come closer but his grip on your waist is strong and he shakes his head smirking, “I need to take you out first—”_

_“Are you serious right now? We’ve already been—”_

_“Officially,” Mark finalises. “Then we can do this.”_

_You roll your eyes before relenting (and unfortunately for you, up to this day, you have still not done ‘this’)._

With the way things were progressing, you of course wanted to to extend the lease and stay here. Unfortunately, you weren’t aware of how Mark was feeling in regards to this so it had made you anxious and insecure. Little did you know, Mark really, really wants you to stay and he is close to begging, but he is still on the mindset of letting you decide which path to take with your relationship, so he hadn’t said anything.

You rub your temple as you think about the other big thing you need to tackle today. That issue is more daunting than the first and means a lot more to your relationship with Mark.  _Intimacy_.

Mark has held off being intimate with you even though you were already dating. You knew why — he wanted to take things slow so that he could do the right thing. But he was going too slow for your liking and it was driving you up the wall. You had been more than ready since BamBam’s party and you had tried to drop hints — you were always the first to deepen the kiss, first to roam your hands and first to grind your crotch — but the boy won’t bite.

You were running out of options and you didn’t really want to go another night without Mark touching you because let’s face it, a girl has needs that not even a vibrator can provide. You were about to bang your head against the nearest wall when a  _ding_  from your phone gives you the best idea yet.

> **[5:45] marky** : i am finally free for the next three nights  
>  **[5:45] marky** : so i am all yours baby  
>  **[5:45] marky** : ps. i’m starving :)

That’s it! Tonight, you were going to knock off two birds with one stone and solve all of your problems.

> **[6:00] babygirl** : finally!!!  
>  **[6:00] babygirl** : i have some news too  
>  **[6:00] babygirl** : so let’s celebrate!  
>  **[6:00] babygirl** : i’ll cook your favourite :)  
>  **[6:02] marky** : you :) are :) the :) bestest :)

Mark arrives home to the smell of pasta wafting through the air. He groans as he takes his shoes off, shuffling to the kitchen to see you standing by the stove in nothing but his shirt that barely covered your behind. He gulps as he takes in the sight of you, closing his eyes to stop himself from taking you right there and then. He has been able to hold off for a long time, and he can do so for one more night.

You were so engrossed in your task that you didn’t notice Mark come in until he wrapped his arms around you from behind. You jumped a little before settling down when you recognise his cologne. Mark nuzzles his face into your neck before he settles by your ear whispering in a low voice, “smells good babe.”

His voice warms up your whole body and reaches straight down to your core. You close your eyes to try and calm down your breathing.

“You’re just saying that because it’s your favourite,” You tease.

“I wasn’t talking about the pasta.”

Mark smirks as he pulls away from you, not waiting for you to respond before retreating to his room to get changed. You were left to your own devices in a trance before snapping out of it to make sure the pasta doesn’t burn.

_Oh my god. It’s working!_

When Mark emerges from his room, he found the food already waiting for him at the table. He watches you walk from the kitchen counter with two glasses of wine, adding them to the feast.

“What are we celebrating again?” Mark asks as he joins you at the table.

“Well, we’re finally done with finals,” you say as you lift your glass up for a toast. “And today actually marks the anniversary of when I moved in and became your roommate.”

Mark sighs, so you did remember. He was hoping not to broach this subject till later because he wasn’t sure of what you had planned to do. If he was being honest, he was hoping you had forgotten so that the two of you could continue living in peaceful bliss.

“Has it been that long already?”

“Yep,” you reply and coax him to lift his glass. “Congratulations on finishing and happy anniversary to us!” He repeats your sentiment before clinking his glass with yours.

The dinner goes off without a hitch and you find yourselves situated by the couch with a movie on the TV, feeding each other the tiramisu you made and downing your third glass of wine. You were both becoming tipsy which meant that there was a lot more flirting — and a lot more touching.

The movie had been long forgotten as soon as Mark rested his hand on your thigh. It was an innocent gesture from his end — he has done this multiple times — but it had set your nerves on fire with anticipation for what you had planned tonight. You’d brought yourself closer to him after, with your head pretty much resting on his shoulder.

Mark doesn’t move his hand an inch and you were starting to get frustrated. His mere touch had coated your underwear with your arousal and for you, there was no turning back. You were craving more. You were  _desperate_  for more. You finish up the rest of your wine before putting your thoughts into action.

You started off slow, planting feather light kisses from his exposed shoulder to the juncture of his neck. Mark’s breath hitches and his grip on your thigh tightens — which is the reaction you needed to spur on your actions. Feeling a burst of confidence, you smirk on his skin before repeating your actions with the addition of your tongue.

Mark closes his eyes as his breathing becomes laboured. He wills himself to calm down, gripping your thigh even tighter if it was possible, to get you to stop. It had the opposite effect however, as he feels you start to nip on his skin. You nip along the height of his neck heading towards his earlobe. You take it in between your teeth and pull, before settling against by his ear.

Mark can feel your breath fanning his ear and he is so close to losing it. He looks down on his lap and sees your right hand rubbing up and down his thigh, getting closer to his throbbing hard-on each time. He opens his mouth to question your movements but your sinful words halt his thoughts in their tracks.

“ _I want you_ ,” you whisper temptingly, licking the shell of his ear and grabbing his hard-on at the same time.

Mark’s eyes roll back and his control snaps, capturing your lips hungrily. He is like a man possessed and you have no choice but to wrap your arms around his neck, his passion sending you reeling. He finally pulls away to steal a quick breath before diving in to ravish your neck, not giving you a second to recover.

He feasts on your skin, licking and sucking anywhere he can reach — marking you as his. The sensation is overwhelming. You thread your fingers in his blonde locks and pull, knowing that he likes it when you do this. Mark emits a low growl before biting down on your neck making you scream out his name in pleasure.

“This is your last chance,” Mark warns as he nips your ear again. “Ask me to stop.”

You answer by grabbing his hand and using it to cup your sex. Mark’s mouth drops and his eyes widen at the realisation of how wet you are for him. You whimper and you grind yourself against his hand. “ _Just fuck me already_.”

It all happens so quickly. You both stood up and made your way to his bedroom — clothes littering your path between kisses. He pushes you against his door as soon as it shuts, wedging his knee in between your legs to spread them, knowing full well what you wanted to do. “You dirty girl,” he growls into your ear, grabbing your right leg and lifting it high up in the air. You moan in anticipation and he takes this opportunity to shove his tongue in your mouth as he rolls his hips into your barely clad centre.

“You’re so wet,” he whispers after pulling away with your bottom lip between this teeth. “I’ve barely touched you.”

“It’s because you’ve  _barely_  touched me, you ass,” you remind him before pushing him as hard as you can and press him into the mattress. You quickly rid him of his boxers and put his cock in your mouth.

You had a feeling that Mark was packing heat, but you didn’t think it would be this much. He was long and thick, making your mouth water and your core wetter. You swirl your tongue around his shaft before focusing on his tip to collect his precum, his low moans filling the room.

You take him all the way in until he reaches the back of your throat, your gag reflex allowing you to swallow around him with ease. Mark clutches the sheets beneath him in purchase, eyes closed and head pushed back into your pillows. You open your eyes to witness his fucked out state and it brings on a new wave of arousal, making you rub your thighs together for any sort of friction.

“Jesus, fuck. So good baby, so so good,” Mark praises you as he finally manages to open his eyes to watch you. You moan around him which causes him to involuntarily thrust up in to your mouth, hitting the back of your throat and bringing tears to your eyes. “Oh god, baby.  _Please_  let me fuck your mouth.”

You moan around him again in response and run your fingers up his thighs, squeezing tightly. Mark takes this as his cue and he finally wraps his hand in your hair, pulling you in the direction he wants as he thrusts up into you. With your cheeks hallowed and your tongue swirling around him, you grab his base where your mouth can’t reach and you move your hands up and down to add to his pleasure.

Mark chants your name over and over as he starts to lose himself, his movements getting sloppier as he hits the back of your throat repeatedly. You let a few stray tears escape as you tighten your mouth around him knowing how close he is. You decide to push him over the edge by fondling his balls and baring your teeth to scrape against his shaft as he moves you up and down.

“ _Oh my—_ ” Mark tries to pull you off to stop himself from cumming, but you dug your nails into his thighs and pushed yourself down, his cock hitting the back of your throat forcefully. You swallow to regain your composure and that’s all it took for Mark to let out a guttural moan as he thrusts one last time, releasing into your mouth with long spurts of cum hitting the back of your throat.

You milk him dry and he calls out your name in euphoria. You let him from your mouth slowly trying not to spill a drop as Mark releases your head and plops down on the bed exhausted. His breath is ragged and he rubs his face with his hands to try and get himself back.

“ _Holy shit_ ,” Mark curses under his breath as he watches you wipe your mouth before taking your ruined underwear off and crawling over to him. You straddle him and run your hands up and down his toned body, relishing the feeling of his bare skin beneath your fingertips. “Where did you come from?”

You flash him a sultry smirk, “You would’ve been getting the best suck of your life if you weren’t so intent on holding back.”

“You’re lucky that I’m exhausted right now or you’ll regret saying that.”

“We’ll see about that.”

You lean down and start assaulting his neck with your mouth — kissing, sucking and scraping your teeth anywhere you could reach. You nuzzle your face in the spot you know he likes, leaving purple bruises in your wake. Mark lets out a groan before sliding his hands to grope your ass cheeks,grinding himself against your core and getting himself hard again.

You mewl against his skin as your kisses travel down south. Mark hisses as you put his nipple in your mouth and swirl your tongue around it, showing him what you would like for him to do to you. He lifts your face and pulls you up to crash your lips together. Your core rubs against his length deliciously and he suddenly isn’t so tired anymore.

Mark flips your bodies over and hovers above you. “It’s my turn now,” he smirks before diving to ravish your neck. He returns the favour and leaves none of your skin untouched. You whimper and writhe against him — begging for more — and you moan out his name when he finally obliges you.

He sits up on his knees and watches you arch your back for him as his hands massages your mounds. His thumbs gently traces across your skin until he is met with your taut peaks. You moan out your pleas until Mark descends and mouths your breast. He squeezes your flesh as his tongue swirls around your hardened nipple, his free hand kneading the other.

Mark switches to your other breast, not wanting to neglect it. As he makes quick work with his mouth, his other hand slides down between your legs and deftly runs his fingers between your slick folds. “So fucking wet. Tell me who’s making you feel this good.”

“ _You_ ,” you moan out, moving your hips to chase his fingers.

“Now, tell the world,” Mark demands as he continues to swirl his fingers around your entrance but doesn’t enter. “Say my name,” he commands and you do so, after he shoves two of his fingers into your cunt. He pulls them out but doesn’t let you recover when he shoves them back in along with a third finger.

“Mark, please. Just fuck me already,” you beg and he kisses you hungrily before pulling his fingers out and flipping you over onto your stomach. You instinctively lift your ass up in anticipation but you see him move away in search of something in his drawers.

“I’m on the pill,” You announce and he turns to you swiftly, eyes rolling back.

Mark is instantly behind you, rubbing his length along your folds to lubricate himself. You’re a moaning mess underneath him, your arousal evident as it drips down your thighs. You’re so ruined that he slips right in and fills you the hilt.

Mark doesn’t allow you a moment to adjust as he drags his length in and out in a rapid pace. It’s fast and hard, just the way you had wanted him. He’s so rough that you know his grip on your waist is going to leave marks in the morning and this brings on a new wave of arousal for you.

You beg him for more and Mark aims to please, fucking you into the mattress as he holds your head down and so hard that the headboard keeps banging into the walls. The way your walls are hugging his length is slowly driving him to the brink of insanity but he’ll be damned if he goes over before you do.

Mark quickly pulls out and flips you over on your back, thrusting his length back in and resuming his pace. Mark sits back on his knees while you lean on your elbows, watching his length disappear in and out of you. His name is a prayer on your lips that he will never get tired of hearing.

“Oh shit—yeah fuck baby—right there— _riiiight there_ ,” you urge him as he finds your sweet spot. Mark clenches his teeth and lifts up one of your legs to sling it over his shoulder. He presses down on your body so that you are chest to chest and you arch your back further into him in pleasure.

Mark uses his free arm to grab hold of the headboard, using it as leverage to thrust into you faster and harder. Your throat is dry and voice hoarse from screaming out his name over and over again. His length is continuously pulsating in your cavern and you know how close he is. “Please, baby tell me you’re close,” Mark grits his teeth. “I don’t know how much longer I can last.”

“So close,” you manage to choke out in between breaths. You notice that Mark’s hands are currently preoccupied so you decide to help him out so you can both finally reach your highs. You slide your right hand in between both of your bodies as you start to rub figure eights on your bundle of nerves in time with his thrusts. The pleasurable feeling quadruples and Mark growls out as you clench around him even tighter.

“Fuck Mark,” you scream out as your orgasm rips through you — your vision blurring and your hearing becoming muffled. A few more sloppy thrusts from Mark and he follows you over the edge, biting your shoulder as he paints your walls with his cum. He continues his shallow thrusts until you have both come down from your high. Mark pulls out slowly and watches as some of his sperm trickles out. He gathers it up with his fingers to shove it back into your cunt.

“Please. No more,” you plead with him, whimpering due to your oversensitivity. Mark relents, pulling his fingers out before rolling off to lie next to you.

“Holy shit.”

“Mmhmm.”  

“You’re right,” Mark chuckles as he turns towards you giving you a peck on your temple. “We really should have done that earlier.”

You playfully smack him on his arm before he gets up and heads off to the bathroom. You hear the tap running and he comes back with a warm towel. He gently cleans you up before tossing the towel aside. You hold out your arms to him and he joins you back on the bed, his head laying on your chest as you thread your fingers through his air.

“Mark?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I stay here?”

“Of course. There’s no point going back to your room—”

“No,” you sigh. “I mean, stay  _here_.  _With you_. In the apartment. My lease is up, but now that we’re together, I don’t really want to leave—”

Mark shuts you up by capturing your lips in a languid kiss. He pulls away and places his forehead on yours. “I love you. Of course, you can stay here.”

“You what?” Your eyes widen in surprise.

“You heard me. I love—”

This time, it was your turn to shut him up as you roll your bodies to hover over him, peppering his face with kisses. “I love you, too.”

Mark flips you both over again and brushes the hair away from your face, flashing you his killer smile and you mirror it. He stares lovingly at you for a few moments before saying, “Remind me to thank Jackson for moving out.”

You laugh before spending the rest of night repeating your confessions to each other, in more ways than one.

As dawn approaches, you know that everything will be okay, especially since you’re wrapped in the arms of the love of your life. The boy next door — who would’ve thought?


End file.
